It was no secret that Aurora had strong opinions about Amma. In fact, out of all of Team Blackjack, the redhead was by far the most vocal of the bunch about her apprehension surrounding the new girl. She knew trouble when she saw it, understood what followed in its wake, and had no interest getting tangled in whatever she had up her sleeve. She knew that Lorcán was the opposite though, he saw the good in everyone; he never had a reason not to. Aurora wasn’t oblivious to the way he looked at the transfer student, she’d seen how he admired her tattoos and always made the effort to coax her out of her shell.

The redhead put two and two together as the boy explained, and once she realized what had actually occurred when he and Amma had disappeared this afternoon, her heart dropped. She had been suspicious earlier, had heard the whispering, but hoped it wasn’t the case. He apologized but all she could hear was ringing in her ears. She had no right to be upset, react so strongly, and yet she was. Why was she taking this so harshly? They were just friends… nothing more than friends.

Right?

And then Lorcán continued, describing what he felt mere moments ago between the two of them.

It felt like I was whole.

The six small words took the breath from her lungs. His candidness captured everything she felt and echoed her innermost thoughts, ones that she’d never shared aloud or even realized until now. It was almost as if he had taken them straight from her mind since that was the way she had always felt about being around him, being near him. So many things about her past made Aurora feel like pieces of her were missing, but it never mattered when she was with him. Lorcán filled those gaps. He always had, long before their powers, their beings, intertwined.

But as close as they were, as close as they had always been, these were still uncharted waters. It scared her, terrified her even. He knew her better than anyone, but at the same time, fully opening up to someone, letting them in, was something she was still not sure she was capable of.

Even for him.

Her eyes drifted from his molten gaze down to his lips and back up again, her nose mere inches from brushing against his. The girl willed herself not to close the distance between the two of them, as tempting as it was in that moment, vaguely sensing her HZE’s reaching outward towards him and consciously reigning them back in.

“Lorcán, I-” Aurora swallowed, taking a deep breath and trying to calm her racing heart, “It’s been an eventful day, and emotions are running a little bit high with everything going on.” She deflected, squeezing his hands before bringing her left palm up to his face, cupping his cheek tenderly, her thumb brushing across his warm skin. “I know there’s a lot happening in that head of yours right now but,” The girl sighed, looking deeply into his eyes and choosing her next words carefully.

“...I think your mind will be a bit clearer once you get some rest.” Aurora paused, the tension between them palpable. “I promise you though, I’m not going anywhere.” She assured him, “Not now, not ever. Okay?”

He pressed his mouth against the base of her palm, Lorcán held it there for only a moment before releasing her.

“I’m not either.” He replied, moving his mouth back. Tracing her arm, he locked eyes with her. It wasn’t quite a rejection, but it wasn’t exactly the reciprocation he had thought he would hear.

“And if I ever do, I want it to be because you’re coming with me.”

Despite her words, Lorcán felt like he was thinking clearly for the first time in a while. At the very least he felt better getting the stuff about Amma off of his chest. Being honest with himself, the experiences had left him feeling guilty and while he knew he didn’t actually owe Aurora an explanation, he had always been honest with her.

“My name’s Lorcán, Lorcán Kendall Roth.” The young boy said, sticking out a lanky arm he had yet to grow into. The small freckled girl in front of him shyly smiled back.

“I like you,” The boy stated without hesitation. “I think you’re totally rad. Want to be my best friend forever?” A wide toothy smile followed the question as the boy led the girl by the hand.

“C’mon, I’ll show you my castle, it’s just an old garage but it’s where I keep all the secrets and if you’re going to be my best friend forever, then you need to know all the secrets.”

His hand moved to his pocket, only to find the smooth, silky material of his crimson boxer briefs, remembering once again that he had been having this heavy talk all while sitting in bright red boxer briefs. It would only have been more comical if they were heart-printed.
His eyes widened as he suddenly scrambled, looking for his shorts.

Fishing them off of the floor, Lorcán dug around in the pocket before producing the small, smooth object that Jonas had gifted him earlier.

“For a second I totally thought I had lost it,” He explained to Aurora before relaxing a bit. “I still have no idea what it is.” He muttered, the object pulsing in his hand again. It brought his thoughts back to earlier in the day, before he met with Jonas.

“Y’know earlier,” Lorcán started, leaning back onto his cot, “Y’know how I said things will never change between us?” He stared at the canvas suspended above them, tossing the black object into the air with one hand before catching it with the other.

“I meant that as in you’ll always be a part of my life, Lady Dude, and you’ll always be my closest friend.” He explained. “But I totally don’t see us as static either, we’re still evolving” He fished a bit.

“Do you like, know what happens when a motorcycle stops moving?” He asked, not waiting for an answer to the rhetorical question. “It falls over, even at slow speeds they sometimes become unsteady. But movement makes the bike balance.”

He tossed the object again.

“I think relationships are similar.” He continued while stifling a yawn, “The journey keeps the relationship growing, even without like, knowing the ultimate destination.” Lorcán rambled before smiling towards Aurora with a wink.

“Even for best friends forever.”

His hand missed the falling object as it caught him square in the face.

“Ow.”

The air around Aurora quickly turned cold as Lorcán moved to his side of the tent, the hairs on her arms standing up at the sudden change in temperature, but also because of what he had implied about them being together. Not dwelling on it, she swung her legs up onto the cot and laid back, her red locks fanning out behind her, hands clasped resting on her stomach. The girl turned her head to look at Lorcán as he spoke, holding the object that Jonas had gifted him in his palm. “Maybe you’re not meant to know right now,” She pondered, “Could be important for later, or something.”

This morning had felt like a lifetime ago, but she remembered the boy’s words as he recounted them. A lot was changing right now, and she had thought at the time Lorcán had only meant it that nothing would come between them. But, ever full of surprises tonight, he took a turn she wasn’t expecting. For someone she thought she knew well, this was a side of the sandy haired boy that she hadn’t seen before. Sure, they had practically grown up together on the Island, the both of them having matured significantly since their youth, but what he was implying wasn’t about them individually.

He winked, and Aurora felt a flush grace her fair skin. Things were evolving, alright.

And as Lorcán clumsily inflicted more harm to himself, she tried to stifle her delicate laugh but failed. Sure, things may have been shifting, but there would still be some things that never changed. “You really need to work on your coordination, hot shot.” The redhead teased, turning her head and letting her gaze rest on the canopy of the tent above them. She reflected on his previous words and a small smile appeared at the memory the phrase triggered.

“Do you ever wonder what life would be like if we never met?” The girl asked before continuing her thought, “Like if one thing was different, we wouldn’t be here together. Do you think about that at all?” Aurora took a breath. “I do. I think about it all the time.” She admitted, bringing her hand up to her necklace, and twirling it.

“So sure, we might not know what’s coming next and how the journey may change things, how we may evolve, but what won’t change is how lucky I feel to have met you when I did.”

The tent’s temperature rose again as Aurora’s words reached Lorcán’s flushed ears. It wasn’t quite a mutual admission of affection, but he’d take the words as a win for now. A smile spread across his face before giving way to a tired yawn. The day had been exhausting both emotionally and physically.

It had been a long day.

From the announcement at the ceremony about the loss of degrees and the displayed animosity of the Foundation to his encounter with Jonas and the mysterious object. From there, the day had only been more complicated after he chose to shirk his duties and go off with Amma into the woods. His best friend took that personally and was now unusually upset at him. Dinner had been eventful with the campfire between both teams and the prying into the conspiracies of the Foundation and then his rollercoaster of a heart-to-heart with Aurora.

It had been a very long day indeed.

“I try not to think about my life without you in it,” Lorcán finally replied, “I definitely don’t want any future that you’re not part of.” He smiled softly, rolling the smooth object around in his palm.

“My life kind of sucked before you, and yeah I realize it could have been a lot worse, in many ways I’m spoiled, but it was lonely. It was the lowest low I’ve known and then you came along.” Lorcán sighed wistfully, “And then things got better, and they keep getting better each day you’re still here. No matter what kind of day I have, I know you’re always there, excited to listen,” He stifled another yawn.

“Rory and Gil are both cool, they’re great friends, but they’ll never trump you.”

Aurora shook her head, “I don’t think you’re spoiled. Sure, you had a very different upbringing than most of us, and you’re lucky for that, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely immune to any kind of hardship.” And she meant that. A lot of people looked at Lorcán’s life, herself included, and were envious of the way the boy grew up. Two loving parents and a community who accepted him for exactly who he was seemed like something out of a storybook. But the grass was always greener, and that didn’t mean the boy didn’t have troubles of his own. “I was lonely too, for a long time. And then I had you and I wasn’t lonely anymore.”

The redhead smiled softly, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell them. Your secret’s safe with me.”

Lorcan smiled fondly back, before placing his head on his pillow, his eyes closed as the gentle lull of Aurora’s voice comforted him. His thoughts raced back to earlier, the near kiss, the hands on her hips.

It hadn’t been real, but in that moment, it had been everything.

“‘Rora,” Lorcán mumbled half asleep as he reluctantly laid back on the cot. Rolling onto his shoulder, he turned to look at Aurora. A smitten smile crossed his face as wandering thoughts pictured waking up beside her.

“I really-” He spoke again, his words slurring slightly as sleep began to take hold of the exhausted young man. His eyelids fluttered, as he struggled to maintain consciousness.

“-really want to take...” Lorcán’s eyes were closed at this point, sleep taking a firm grasp over the young man only for one last act of rebellion allowed him to spit out another sentence fragment.

“...to the dance.”

Aurora had been drifting off as well, but was snapped back awake at Lorcán’s words. Her eyes widened, and she sat up quickly, looking over at his now sleeping form. She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest as he peacefully rested as if he didn’t just say something confusing and leave it up to interpretation before dozing off to dreamland.

Take who to the dance? Her?

Based on the evening's events, she assumed he’d meant wanting to bring her, which opened up a can of metaphorical worms. In fact, the entire night had put them in a bit of a predicament if she was being honest. But then again, he had said many things that evening, he could very well have meant someone else…

Lying back on the cot, Aurora tried to quiet the swirling thoughts that had now overtaken her mind. She didn’t sleep that night.

Not a wink.

Observing the completed Trial structure from a small hill amidst the plateau, Robert allowed himself a small smile of pride before turning towards the five-kilometre walk back to the main campus. The large man made a good pace as he left the blowing grass behind and entered the forest that separated the campus and the rolling plains.

His nostrils suddenly flared at a smell foreign to the forest. Subtle through the smell of fir, hemlock and pine but there, beneath the natural aromas of the forest was the distinct pollutant odour of leather and neoprene.

“The winds are blowing.” Robert spoke loudly, listening through the trees. The hoot of a great horned owl in the distance replied before it too was swept away by the whistling winds singing their haunting song along the cliffs of the Southern Plateau.

His keen green eyes danced between the trees. He was likely just being paranoid, perhaps something that Thaddeuas had mentioned about Banjo’s penchant for retaliation had gotten to him. The source of the smells were more than likely a pair of students seeking some privacy from their campsite.

He chuckled to himself while resuming his walk. It wasn’t so long ago that he too had snuck off into these words with a pair of fellow students during his Homecoming Trials. After all, as the kids say, the Eiffel Tower is beautiful this time of year.

A groan suddenly found its ways from between his lips as a sharp prick tickled the back of his neck. Another pierced the thick skin as the dark forest began to spin. The third downed the elephant of a man, his hands barely able to react in time before he hit the forest floor.

His eyes were rapidly closing but not before he saw a pair of heels amidst several pairs of boots. An authoritative voice cut through the haze.

“Get him out of site and prep the table for the procedure. This sub-class will make an excellent test subject.”

And then Robert lost consciousness.

Thunder loomed over the Southern Plateau as rain began to pelt the tents and sheets of lightning illuminated the night sky. All had quieted across the camp sites and fires had long been extinguished as midnight had come and gone bringing about the witching hour that it was now.

A lone zipper was lost in the din of pouring rain as the sole figure stole away in the shadows of the wee hours, hiding between the rows of tents before making a dash for the Trial build site.

There, disguised as a simple hedge maze stood the Homecoming Trial in all its biotechnological glory. A combination of mundane construction and Hyperhuman wizardry enabled the ‘hedge’ to rival even the A.R.C. in simulated environments.

But it was not impervious to tampering.

Like every year prior, Robert and his cohorts had already performed their inspection of the students workmanship and rejiggered any required programming. From both theirs and the faculty’s standpoint, the Trial had been deemed safe to run. A redundant check would be performed in the morning, and another before the trial went live. All the more reason why sabotage needed to be intelligent.

Every student carried their student card, it’s what allowed them to check into training facilities and check out equipment. Creating a sequence triggered by the swipe of a specific student’s card would allow it to remain indistinguishable in the morning checks but activate in time for Blackjack to experience a modified version of the Trial.

One void of safeties.

The shrouded figure smiled as they produced said student card, swiped during Blackjack’s shared campfire with Firebird. Even if they had noticed it missing, the card’s owner would have assumed it was lost within the central processing area of the Trial. They did after all help program this year’s theme.

What no one would anticipate though was the projected power-dampening field that would prevent anyone from getting in and those inside from getting out. The Harbinger had planned out every detail.

Though some had to be left in the dark lest they be compromised, but it was a sacrifice that had to be made and every member of House Orcinus was ready to be towards the glory of Hyperion's inevitable return.

Morning came faster than most of Blackjack appreciated.

The melodic sounds of songbirds and seabirds alike had started at approximately five in the morning and continued well past the time the campus wide trumpet had blown. As each stumbled out of their tents, some better for wear than others, they found Tad waiting for a breakfast consisting of bagels, muffins, fruit, juice, water and coffee or tea as per their preference.

From the neighboring campsite approached Jess waving a student ID card in hand before handing it to Tad who was sitting beside the breakfast spread.

“Hey, Lover, Noah found this in the fire circle, it’s still a little damp from last night’s storm but looks like it’s good otherwise. Might want to ensure Harper has it back. You'll definitely need her to beat Firebird today.”

Tad smiled as he took the student card from Jess’ hand. It was true, for a student's trial run to be counted, they had to swipe their card upon entry.

“I’ll be sure she gets it back, even if I know we could beat you even with a man down.” He retorted only for his wife-to-be to roll her eyes.

“Sure you can, Finch. Try not to make the target time too easy for us.”

As the various members of Blackjack gathered around for breakfast, Tad turned to address the group proper. In his hands he held another piece of paper while the Team’s eyes were drawn to a collapsed tent beside him.

"I, uh, found this note, looks like Mei left in the middle of the night. Something about in the air force you can’t hear Haven scream?."

"Yeah,” Jess interjected with a playful smirk, turning around to tease both Tad and the pair of lovebirds.

”According to my guys, all anyone could hear last night over the rain was Barnes and Tyler.”

“Ahem,” Tad cleared his throat while his ears turned red. Moving his head, he indicated for Jess to leave before turning back to the group.

“Since our girls programmed the Trial, Blackjack has been elected first to run the course. Hopefully, with our insider knowledge, you don’t set too good of a time.” He gave a taunting smirk towards Jess who rolled her eyes at her fiancé before walking away.

“I’ve brought some A.R. Suits over for you all to change into, no need to explain them as you’re all surely used to the suits by now. Don’t forget your neural links.” Tad added tapping his temple to indicate the proper placement of the device.

“For those who have never done this, get some food into you, then suit up. We’ll regroup in front of the Trial before officially entering.” He explained before grabbing an apple along with his bagel and coffee.

“Don’t overeat and I’ll see you over there.”

Tad counted the heads of the ten remaining Blackjack members. He couldn't blame Mei or Pallyx for leaving with the shake up caused by the Foundation, but he was grateful for the remaining members. Most of them he had been mentoring since they came to P.R.C.U.

“Alright, you guys put this together, I know you can set a great time, but also try to have fun. For some of you it’s a first run, but for all of you, it’s the last time you’ll get to do this. Savour it, work together and I know you’ll do great.”

The various members of Blackjack filed into the towering hedge one by one, each swiping their student card as they entered which brought their A.R. suit to life, establishing a connection with the neural link that brought the maze in front of them to life.

Suddenly pulling Harper out of line, Tad moved her to the back of the group before holding out his arm.

“Sorry, I just remembered Jess gave this to me this morning. You must have dropped this yesterday.” He explained handing her student card back to her

“Give ‘em hell, Baxter,” Tad encouraged sending the girl through last.

As the Trial came alive, the programming glimmered to life as the doors shut behind Blackjack with a sharp sibilation. As soon as the doors locked, the visual constructs began to flicker. The entire simulation began to shut down in a flash of scrolling, corrupted red code. The area went black, submerging Blackjack in darkness before flaring back to life in a blinding flash of white. Winding, sterile halls replaced the stone maze and jungle of the previously programmed simulation.

Tiamat
Tiamat
Tiamat

A chorus of hushed whispers echoed around the collective team. A cold fog hung to the room's walls and floor while an indiscernible hissing echoed through the spotless maze of corridors. The exterior walls of the Trial hummed, the familiar nausea of an EBI field washing over those standing too close to the doors.

Empty classrooms lined the corridors, each occupied with abandoned desks. Within several of the rooms were a buzzing, damaged smart board, its screen covered in static beneath the cracked glass. The other rooms were filled with gurneys lined with busted restraints. Vials filled with vibrantly coloured liquids were scattered through the hospital-like rooms, while half-empty syringes lay around the abandoned gurney, their points stained with the familiar rust-tinged vermillion of dried blood.

The chorus of voices returned, words echoing again through the winding labyrinth.

“What the hell just happened?”

Jim pushed his way through the throng of graduate students frantically tapping at the non-responsive controls in the operations room while outside the rest of the student body watched in horror as the Homecoming Trial warped from a stone maze in a jungle backdrop to a twisted version of the Foundation’s Institute.

“Something is in the system, we’re locked out.”

“Then y’all best get control back!” Jim roared, “And who ordered the damn dampening field installed.”

“That wasn’t in Robert’s blueprints, Sir.”

“Where the hell is Arkwright?”

“No one has seen him since the inspection last night, none of this code was in the system then. It’s like there was a trigger.” One of the techs stuttered back.

“Can’t y’all ‘un-trigger’ it?”

“Unfortunately, Sir, it seems it needs to run the course. Unless objectives are met inside the Trial, the tampered code won’t release.”

Jim furiously furrowed his eyebrows, locking eyes with the student before realizing he was angry at the wrong person.

“Y’all keep working on this, I’m going to try skinning this pig from another side.”

“Little on the nose, dudes,”

Lorcán muttered aloud, accusation sitting heavy in his voice as the simulation started up, the rumoured sterile hallways of the Foundation appearing before his molton-coloured eyes. The familiar wave of nausea washed over as he touched a hand to the door, he could feel his HZEs being extinguished the second his hand made contact. Pushing on the door, it failed to budge before Lorcán nearly dry-heaved from the prolonged contact. Pulling back, he took a couple of deep breaths while looking into the maze in front of Blackjack.

Based on the facial expression of both Harper and Calliope, it was becoming blatantly obvious this was not by their design. Lorcán's eyes immediately moved from the alleged designers to Amma, who to his surprise seemed just as caught off guard, if not more disturbed than the rest of the team.

Perhaps this was a trap meant for her?

Lorcán suddenly spun around again, cupping his hands together and forcibly launching a fireball from his palms. It fizzled out against the door, not even leaving so much as a scorch mark as the EBI field rendered his HZEs inert.

“I slaggin’ don’t care for being a rat in a cage.” He growled. “Looks like the only way out is through.” He stated to the team, before doing a quick head count to ensure everyone was accounted for. Reaching into his back pocket, Lorcán pulled out his father's old black ballcap, blowing a few wavy strands of sun-bleached hair out of his eyes before putting the cap on backwards.

“Dudes, we need to buddy up, everyone pair off and stay with your person.” His fiery eyes looked towards the fog laden corridor. Lorcán stood up straight, rolling the sleeves of his athletic shirt up before taking charge of the situation. It was the same time most of the team had heard Aiden Roth issue instructions to them during Practical Ability Training.

“Place could change at a moment's notice, we don't know the game we’re playing so we’re just treading water trying not to get dunked by the next swell. Got to get on the board somehow.” Lorcán continued before grabbing Aurora's hand without any hesitation. He gave it a quick squeeze before looking at her.

“Lady Dude, you’re with me.” He left no room for argument before looking back at the other eight students.

“Don’t let go of your buddy in any circumstance and let's try to keep the group together as much as possible.” Lorcán turned his gaze back to Amma.

“Brah, you got any insight here?” He asked, his eyes locked with Amma’s, but what looked back was feral and uncaged.

Amma's eyes were unwavering, rigid, deep, and laden with unbridled fury that lined her gaze in silver. Waves of a storm-ridden sea clashed with molten cores and there, a slow tremor in her hand that barely shimmered with her power slowly being leeched away near the walls infused by the dampening field. Her red sparks struggled to dominate her flesh as was often their want.

"It's a test. This is what they do. I don't -- " Her stare lances down, quick and deliberate as she studies his hand laced with Aurora's. "They make you weak, defenseless." Amma slowly stepped closer, her full mouth rising into that often hellacious smirk she was known for.

"They'll attack you at your lowest when you think you've gotten away far enough. When you think you're safe."

She makes to move around the pair, gazing off into the fog.

"They want to see how long you can last on their terms. In their domain."

Without hesitation, Amma set off down the corridor with a deliberate pace, sparing neither a secondary glance.

“Brah!” Lorcán protested as he watched Amma run off.

“That's not the buddy system!”

Rory blinked himself awake, taking a moment to decipher dream from reality. Was it a dream? Or felt more coherent... more like a memory. But he couldn't place the specifics. That almost made it worse.

The second sensation Rory noticed as he stretched his arms were the soft fingertips of Haven interlocked in his own, gently slipping out of his grasp before he fully processed they were there. His brow furrowed, as he parsed through the memories he had. She was more clothed now, and lying in her own sleeping bag next to him. He felt a small wave of embarrassment as he looked over his naked form. Was it all just a dream? No... no, he had the same thought the night before. What they shared was real, quite real. A small smile crept on his face. She had held on to him as they slept. His heart surged at the thought.

Of course, it lasted only a moment. He didn't place much stock in his dreams... but the one the night before felt foreboding. He didn't even notice the irony as he quietly slipped from his sleeping bag, sliding on a fresh pair of boxers and shorts. He picked up his shoes, draped a t-shirt over his shoulder and walked towards the tent flap, his finger hovering near the zipper. But he stopped himself from opening it, looking over his shoulder to Haven's slumbering form. She looked borderline angelic, the way her ruffled wings were tucked in tight next to her and her hair was out of sorts.

No... no. Not this time.

Rory sighed, setting his shoes down and tossing his shirt on top of his duffel bag. He laid out on top of his sleeping bag, curling up next to Haven as he draped a hand over her side, being as careful as possible to avoid touching her wings. He nestled himself up next to her as close as possible, resting his head into her outstretched arm. He closed his eyes, and focused on the sound of their breath and the sensation of being so close. A smile spread across his lips as he let himself relax.

The sound of Rory's movements had begun to wake Haven from her sleep long before Rory laid down. Her wings shifted behind her, gathering closer to her body. They grazed his arm, unaware that it was that close to them. Her eyes fluttered open, greeted by the sight of Rory's smile and his face so close to hers. She felt the weight of his arm on her waist and the feeling of his skin against her feathers. To her surprise, she didn't immediately flinch at the touch. Yet her wings still slowly recoiled, keeping inches away from human contact as they'd grown used to doing. Maybe one day she'd learn to trust another's touch in such a sensitive spot. If there was one person she could think of that she'd allow to get close enough, it would be Rory.

Being careful not to move a muscle in the arm Rory laid against, Haven leaned her head forward to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. She smiled at him as she returned her head to it's spot on the sleeping bag. She could tell he was awake by his breathing, but she worried that speaking too soon would mess with the peaceful silence they remained in. Plus, that blissful look on his face was everything to her. She'd never seen him look so carefree.

A jolt shot up Rory's arm and into his spine the second he felt feathers graze his skin. He knew how big of a deal even such a small gesture was, coming from her. His eyes lazily opened, and he nodded as he saw Haven's wings recoil from his hand. The warmth of her kiss caused him to lean forward longingly, planting his own kiss on her cheek as he nestled himself even closer. He moved his hand off her waist and lifted it to her other cheek, guiding her head so he could look into her eyes. His voice was soft, borderline dreamlike still as it was clear he was still in the process of waking up. "Good Morning... sleep well?" There was a soft cheekiness as he wiggled his eyebrows to accentuate his question.

There was a silent thank you in her eyes as she looked into his, but her wide grin was answer enough to his question. "I haven't slept so comfortably next to someone in a long time." She began as her hand lifted to take his into hers. She intertwined their fingers between them. "How did you sleep?"

He paused, his smile fading slightly. He wouldn't be technically lying if he just said he slept well. Hell, it was a wonderful night of rest. And the only issue with his slumber was outside of her control. There was no need to ruin a good thing. He looked over her face, the smile naturally widening as he just nodded. "I slept... I really like falling asleep like this and waking up next to you." It was blunt dodge, but not at all untrue.

Rory looked up towards the top of the tent. It wasn't too bright outside yet... it was clearly early. Conditioning barred him from sleeping in even after a night like that. He turned his gaze back to Haven, his happy grin slowly replaced with a smirk. "It's still early... we've got a while before breakfast or the Trials..."

Haven noticed the smirk on his face, the double meaning behind his words sending a pink hue to her cheeks. "We should warm up with a run, before we warm up that way." Plus, she had picked up on the subtle way his smile dropped. It seemed like he had something else on his mind that troubled him. There was also something she wanted to ask him when they weren't tangled up together. "The run will clear our minds and get the endorphins running."

Rory playfully sighed at Haven's suggestion. He didn't want to leave this spot by her side, even if he knew they would have to move eventually. His smile widened a little, though. He didn't usually have company on his morning runs. He had always thought he caught a glimpse of Haven in the sky some mornings, and the thought of being able to share in a morning routine felt reassuring. This would be different. "Fine... a little less hot, but it's probably for the best." He let go of Haven's hand and quickly lifted himself up. He offered a hand to his partner to help her up.

Haven grinned as she looked up at him. She slid her hand into his and squeezed before letting his strength pull her to her feet. "Thanks."

"You should turn around while I change, or we won't make it out of the tent." She teased him as she turned towards her duffle bag. She knelt down in front of it to pull out a running set from inside. As she stood, she glanced over her wings to raise her eyebrows at him. "I mean it, Rory. You can see it again later tonight."

He hated that she was right. The slight blush in his cheeks from staring at hers as she dug through her bag was a dead enough give away. "I'll be outside. Trying not to think about you chang-" He didn't finish the thought, cutting himself off abruptly as he shook his head. He reached down to grab his shoes, fresh socks already stuffed inside. He opened up the tent flap and stepped outside. He took a moment to stretch out his arms, which were still sore from the day before. He was going to need a rest day when this was all said and done. Maybe he could-

She said tonight.

Rory's blush grew brighter, and he cleared his throat softly. He snapped his fingers , clapped his hands... anything to get the energy out. He felt suddenly restless. This was a thing, now. They were really a thing. He grinned like an idiot as he sat on the ground and pulled on his socks, followed by his shoes.

Haven's laughter followed Rory out of the tent. She decided to change quickly, in case he changed his mind. There was a broad smile on her face as she pulled on the fresh shorts and sports bra. She could hear him outside. His movements had her feeling quite restless, too. Until something dawned on her that made her whole body flush.

"Rory... Can you hear me from out there?" She asked as she tugged on a loose tank. Her wings carefully slipped through the opening on the sides.

"Yeah... what's up?" Rory called out over his shoulder, choosing to remain a little softer in tone. He knew about her hearing, and didn't feel like disturbing the rest of the team's beauty rest as he basked in the dawn's glow.

There was a moment of silence from within the tent as Haven quickly pulled on her socks and shoes. Then the slow sound of a zipper being undone behind him. Haven emerged from within the tent, her feathers ruffled behind her and a flush on her cheeks as she gave him a look that was as amused as it was embarrassed. "We, uh..." She stepped up to him, her voice low as she got on her tip toes to speak into his ear. "We didn't sound-proof the tent last night."

Rory's brows raised in confusion for a moment. They weren't really required to sound proof the tents, it was usually just a little easier to help people fall asleep. After their night together, he didn't really care about noise-

The realization hit him like a brick wall. His cheeks grew hot as he turned to face Haven. But after a moment, he felt a small laugh boil up in his throat. He covered his mouth with his hand, giggling softly for a second. When he regained his composure, he placed a hand on Haven's shoulder, smiling down at her. "Well... on the bright side, I don't think we have to tell anyone about us." His smile was warm and sincere. In this moment, he didn't particularly care. The embarrassment would come with a certain loud-mouthed Aussie later, that was guaranteed. "We'll just have to be careful about noise next time, yeah? Don't want to make anyone too jealous this early in the game." He was confident, and remained unaware of the double meaning in his words.

The two shared red cheeks for a moment, until Rory began to giggle. The sound of it was worth the embarrassment. Haven beamed up at him as he mentioned telling people about "us". She shook her head, her eyes darting around the camp. "Next time we won't be surrounded by tents, thank the heavens."

She took his hand from her shoulder and began to tug him along. "Let's get going before the others come out. I don't know if I can face them right now." Rory should be the only one to see her blush like this, anyways. As much as she urged him to continue, the glint in her eyes revealed that she wasn't ashamed of their noise. She was proud of it in fact. That wasn't something the others also needed to overhear, though.

Rory smiled a goofy grin as he let Haven drag him towards the edge of the camp. He noticed that glint in her eye... or more notably, the lack of shame or embarrassment he might expect. Once they broke the tent line, nearing the closest forest path, Rory broke from Haven's grasp and started jogging past her, turning around briefly to wink at her as he did so. He kept a reasonable pace, not pushing himself as hard as he might usually. He enjoyed the stark morning air as he ran, making sure to slow or speed up to keep up with Haven. It felt... odd, to no longer be alone during his usual time of solitude. But it was a welcome change. He couldn't help but smile as the two jogged through the forest trails of the Southern Plateau. Rory slowed to a stop after a half hour of jogging, keeping his breath slow and steady as he took the stop as an opportunity to stretch his arms. He kept his gaze on Haven, soft smile on his lips. "How ya feeling, Wings?"

Haven took the opportunity to stretch out her wings. She'd been running with them tight against her back to avoid any drag they'd cause open. Once she'd furled them again, she began to stretch her legs against a nearby log. She smirked in Rory's direction at the nickname. Her voice and breathing was as even as when they had begun their routine. "Great, but I'm not sure why you're holding back for me. The view was awesome when you were in front of me, though." She teased before her smirk softened. "It's nice to run with someone for a change."

She finished her stretches, moving to approach him. her head felt much clearer now, so hopefully he felt the same. "Can I... ask you a question? About last night?" Her hand reached for his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We both want this to be more than what we're used to, but I want to know how you feel about something before we continue." There was a small pause before she managed the words. Her tone was even, not a hint of anger or jealousy held in it. Yet it was obvious that she was nervous to say them.

"I know that Mei had asked you to the dance on the beach. So, I'm not upset that you've agreed to go with her. I'm glad you made up, actually." She tilted her head to the side, her lips thinning for a moment before asking the question. "Do you think any feelings you may have for her will affect... us?"

Rory's heart sank as Haven mentioned the dance. She must have heard, somehow, that he was supposed to go to the dance with Mei. He wasn't sure who could have possibly told her. But, more than anything, her final question stung the most. He instinctively pulled his hand away from Haven's, eyes narrowing as he looked her over. The question was a fair one, and it hurt more as he hesitated. His feelings for Mei were mostly physical... but she was less the concern, in his mind. There was someone else who came to mind.

"I don't think you have to worry, Haven." His tone was somber as he turned away, arms folded up over his bare chest. "I don't have the same connection with Mei. I don't feel the way I feel with you with anyone else. Some things are similar, a lot are different. But this is something else." He paused. He felt that same crushing anxiety from earlier build in his chest. Haven didn't ask about Katja... but it felt wrong to not say anything.

But if he did say something, would she want to stick around?

"The feelings I have for Mei aren't going to get in the way of us, Barnes. I know I'm an-" Something caught in his throat. A word. The same word his brother used often for him. The same word his father used. Rory grit his teeth, closing his eyes for a moment. He released the tension just enough to continue. "You don't have to worry about anyone else." He squeezed his arms tighter, as if desperately trying to hold himself together. He couldn't look at her. He was already keeping secrets, and it was day one.

Like father, like son.

Haven felt her muscles bunching up as Rory looked her over with narrowed eyes. It was like she'd hit him. And after all of her experiences, her instincts were telling her that he might hit her back. She knew he wouldn't. So as he turned from her, her body relaxed. Then his words found their mark in her chest.

First guilt ran its course. She felt like she shouldn't have asked. But that was ridiculous. She needed to know. Aurora had told her to be careful with her heart, and this was what she was doing to keep it safe. Then he cut himself off, and the soft part of Haven's heart yearned to reach out for him again. It soon became obvious that he was holding something back. Did it have to do with the invisible weight on his shoulders, or was there more that he didn't want to say to her? Was she okay only knowing half of the truth?

Haven slowly approached him, her arms wrapping around his waist as she pressed her cheek against his back. His heart was thunderous in his chest and she could feel the tension in his own muscles. She clasped her hands together in front of him to make sure he wouldn't pull away again. "It's okay, Rory... I trust you." She said softly, her eyes fixated on the sky above them. "I know you'll tell me what's eating at you when you're ready."

The second Haven held him, the weight in his chest grew tighter. She knew he was holding something back. She trusted him, when he was the one keeping secrets. He let out a long sigh, his shoulders hunching forward as he deflated. He didn't care if this was going to ruin things anymore. "I confessed to Katja yesterday." His words felt like poison, but his tone remained somber. "It was more like she found out, when I asked for advice about you. She doesn't feel the same about me..." He paused. Haven's arms wrapped around him... it wasn't as overwhelming as Katja's hug. But the latter did the same thing when he pulled away the previous night.

He didn't want to know what that meant.

"I don't want to fuck things up with you, Haven. I'm in, I'm on your team and I'm not looking to get traded. But things between me and Kat are... complicated, now. I think. But she's important to me, and we're both Chimeras and compete often. But I don't want to wake up next to her." The words came flooding out. He didn't have time to think or parse them. He lifted his hands up to Haven's wrapped around his waist, gripping her hands in his but not daring to move them. "I want things to work with us. I don't intend on letting anyone get between us, but I know this is a lot. And I wouldn't blame you for walking away, Feathers." He let go of Haven's hands, his arms falling back to his sides.

Haven had never thought that Katja and Rory could be an item. If anything she'd seen them as siblings. Always teasing, talking game, and wrestling. Well... the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. And he had confessed to her, and she didn't feel the same. There was solace in that, although it still made her heart hurt to think that he had confessed to another girl hours before they confessed to each other.

He didn't want to wake up next to Katja. He was on her team, all in. Those words were the only thing that kept her close to him. The only reason she didn't turn around to take off into the sky. He wouldn't blame her for walking away? She'd blame herself, if she left the man she was falling for behind.

"I'm not going anywhere, Rory." She turned to press her forehead into his back. "Things are complicated now, but I think we can work through it."

She squeezed his waist before moving away to step in front of him. "We have to be honest with each other if we want this to work, yeah? Just, don't call me Barnes again unless you're upset with me." She attempted a humorous smile to lighten the situation.

Rory nodded solemnly as he listened. He knew this wasn't what either of them wanted for their first day together. He didn't expect any of this to get so deep. Haven's joke helped a little, fishing out a small grin from his lips and a nod. He had plenty of names to call her... and her first name was a beautiful enough sound for when he needed to be serious. But, he also knew an invitation to ease the tension. "I suppose I can do that. Just don't get upset with me for being a bird-brain, ok?" His smile was weak, but still warm.

He really needed to get his shit together, for her sake.

Haven playfully smacked his arm. "Of course not. I should know you have trouble with words by now, anyways." She teased back with a grin.

"Ready to get going again, then? I won't take it easy on you this time."

Rory smiled, taking one final chance to lift up his knees and stretch his legs. He took one final breath. Stop overthinking. You mess up when you get in your head. He let the thoughts slip from his head, focusing on Haven. He flashed a grin. "Ok, ok... enjoy the view."

With that, he immediately took off, breaking into a brisk jog. He flashed a cocky grin over his shoulder, a playful challenge.

The gloves were off.

Haven marveled at the muscles in his back as they glistened in the early sunlight. The earlier confusion wore off quickly. With a grin, Haven jolted into action. Her legs made catching up to him a quick and easy effort. She tapped his shoulder with her hand as she overtook him. Her expression as amused as it was flirtatious. She slowed up just as she made it five feet ahead of him. Soon she was running next to him as they continued back to the campsite.

---

^{| Later, at the Trials}

Rory was silent, closing his eyes as he finished adjusting his A.R. suit. Ritual was important before a big match... and he needed to show off for Will and Mary. Even if only one of them would even potentially appreciate it. He gave two slaps to his chest, a ritual he had picked up in high school while wrestling. It helped him to stimulate some blood flow and get things pumping... or at least, that's what he told himself. A placebo was only good if you never bothered to check it's accuracy. As the doors closed behind them, Rory couldn't help but let a smirk cross his face. He was ready.

Then... black screen. Red text. Sterile halls, empty classrooms, psych-ward-aesthetic with half-empty syringes. He felt his brow knit together as he stared at it all in confusion. The chanting voices were a creepy touch... and really sold the vibe. Rory's face lost some of its tension as he looked things over. Lorc and Amma were taking things a bit seriously... he didn't take either of them for the scared type. But, he knew enough about the Trials to know that a maze was always a given. His hand instinctively reached behind him, towards Haven. Was Haven the type to be scared by haunted houses? He raised an eyebrow as he inspected some of the finer elements of the simulation. Amma ran off, like an amateur. They would have to find her later. In the meantime, Rory spoke up.

"Hey, uh... I'm always down for a themed haunted house, but this seems like a bit much. I would have went with something more, like, action movie... less horror movie, you know?" He almost instinctively felt a look or two draw his way, and he held his free hand up in defense. "Hey, just trying to give notes, ok?"

As per usual... Rory was not on the same page.

“I can’t believe I was ever that weak.” A voice echoed from a nearby hallway, the temperature in the room dropping rapidly as two long shadows were cast through the dim room. A pair of blonde women entered the room, one standing at par with even Katja, her heavy footsteps shaking the room while the shorter blonde woman turned her lips upwards in a cruel sneer. Any residual heat in the room seemed to evaporate.

“Really? A panic attack right now? Couldn't handle not being the center of attention could you, Princess.” The woman stepped forward into the light, a mist of ice crystals hovered around her open hands as the light illuminated her face.

It was Calliope.

Or at least it was someone’s approximation of her, like a living doll. The features were too smooth, the makeup too heavy, the hair had its blonde tips obnoxiously coloured an icy blue. But on first look, it was Calliope’s face; or at least close enough to be unnerving.

The suit that she wore didn’t look anything like the ones issued by P.R.C.U. This one accented her form more, clearly tailored and supported in areas that the generic A.R. suits simply didn’t have the luxury to be. Primarily white, it was accented with silver and baby blue lines and details. An ‘F’ decorated her belt buckle and was emblazoned on the upper right quadrant of her chest.

The hulking woman beside her was clearly the uncanny version of Katja, her rippling muscles clear as day even through the reinforced suit covering her body. Grease paint covered her eyes and nose giving her the look of a jungle commando while various scars shaped like claws were visible where her skin was still exposed.

“They were trained to be weak,” The Uncanny Katja spat, clearly disgusted by the students before the doppelgängers.

“More pathetic products of Pacific Royal.” She cracked her knuckles before rolling her head from side to side.

“I shall very much enjoy hearing your last breath struggle to escape from your crushed windpipe.”

The behemoth of a woman lunged forward only for ‘Anti-Calliope’ to raise a hand, nearly instantly crafting a thick barrier or ice between ‘Feral Katja’ and the rest of Blackjack.

“Not yet.” She giggled wickedly, “They still need to suffer more.”

Suddenly, Blackjack was plunged into total darkness. An awful scraping noise echoed all around them as each member was pulled in a different direction. The ominous buzzing returned as the lights flickered back to life revealing that Blackjack had been scattered throughout the maze.

Harper found herself with Lorcán and Aurora, now located in a classroom with a locked blast door. On either side of a room was a wall of glass, beyond the thick pane was the blackness of the ocean, schools of fish swimming ignorant of the three observers.

A sickening crack suddenly echoed through the room as a line shot through the middle of the glass. A red beacon flashed in the corner of the room.

Elsewhere, Rory, Haven and Katja had been transported together. The floor beneath their feet was sticky, covered in a tar-like substance as the smell of engine oil overwhelmed their senses. Above their heads was a grated floor situated on evenly spaced I-beams. Mechanical equipment sat supported by the steel, fluids dripping into the pit the three had found themselves in.

“Hey, bro.” A familiar voice called from above them, a pair of boots resting on the grates.

“Run.” It added before a spark flew from the figure’s fingertips and ignited against the floor behind the three Blackjack students. Immediately roaring to life, the fire began to advance rapidly.

Banjo’s eyes adjusted to the light, finding himself along with Calliope and Gil. A glass dome circled above them, and all manner of aquatic life was swimming outside the facility while the three found themselves in some athletic arena. The floor of the arena was scattered with broken robots, their parts lying strewn in every direction.

The echo of a servo motor broke the deafening silence as a head turned to look at the trio. Across the field, the robots suddenly came to life, reassembling as their red eyes all turned to look at the three targets.

“Finch, Friend!” Jim roared as he exited the control room, motioning with two mechanical fingers for the pair to follow him. Waiting until the three faculty members were out of the student body’s earshot, he began talking.

“Baxter’s card triggered the event, that’s about the only thing those eggheads in there can give me.”

“Are you saying that Harper di-”

“No, Friend, that dog don’t hunt.” Jim interrupted Jess before she could finish accusing Harper. “Anything out of the ordinary happen last night with y’all’s teams?”

“Other than everyone’s pheromones ramped up, nothing really odd. Looked like Harper and Haven went out of their way to speak to some of yours.” Tad stated, gesturing towards Jessica.

“Yeah, but they’re just anxious about the Foundation's presence, wanted to pick Alyssa’s brain but I think all of us know how well that went.”

“Didn’t you find her student card on the ground, Jess?” Tad asked, Jim’s eyes swivelling towards Jess as he awaited an answer.

“Right, it was on the grass, wet from the rain. I just assumed she just dropped it, I guess. Didn’t really give it much thought”

“Y’all assumed the most organized, type-A, Valedictorian candidate dropped her student card?”

“Well, when you put it like…” Jess’ voice trailed off while Tad rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Katja also put her head through a table this morning, tent was obliterated by Amma last night.” Tad interjected, “Uh not sure if it’s relevant though.”

“The pair of you might want to stop playing house during work hours, and get y’alls in order.” Jim cautioned, “Doubt either had much to do with the hijacking, they’re both trapped now, Arkwright’s in the wind.”

“Jess, why didn’t you mention that three of the girls knocked Harper to the ground yesterday?” Miranda’s voice surprised Jess as the Associate Chancellor appeared behind her. She had been the first person that Jim called the second the Trial was hijacked. A former negotiator for H.E.L.P., Miranda was one of the best intelligence agents before she retired herself. Still, she was a powerful Psionic, and if anyone was going to find the truth surrounding Blackjack’s misfortune, it would be here.

In front of Miranda, the young woman’s cheeks turned red as Jessica realized that her former mentor had just read her mind.

“Hey, hey! Boundaries!” Jess protested, turning to face both Jim and Miranda. “Is this how you run the school?”

“If students are in danger, a little invasion of privacy is a cost I’m willing to pay, especially when them being trapped in that Trial could impact everyone if the Foundation uses it against us” Jim growled.

“You used your powers last night, you wanted them distracted.” Miranda continued stepping forward while Jess closed her eyes tightly as if trying to push the telepath out of her mind.

“I’ll have you reported for this!” She protested.

“Chancellor!” Tad chimed in, “C’mon, don’t do it like this.” He pleaded.

“He’s right, James,” Miranda conceded, “We shouldn’t be doing it like this.”

“Damnit!” The Chancellor snapped, “Why are y’all withholding information, Friend?”

"The winds are blowing."

Jim looked at Jessica and then back to Miranda, he exchanged a brief look of surprise with Miranda before his brow hardened and the fire in his eyes returned. Beside them both, Tad squirmed uncomfortably, ignorant of the true meaning behind the words his wife just said.

“He doesn’t know Jim,” Miranda intervened, stopping Jim before he could reply to Jessica.

“I’m sorry, Thaddeus, I truly am.”

“Wha-” Tad looked from Miranda to Jim and back several times, “What don’t I know? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Ms. Rivers, please escort Mr. Finch to my office.” Jim ordered.

“Jessica and I need to have a little chat.”

Katja had sat here alone for hours. It honestly felt like an eternity. The cold midnight rain had felt nice as it landed on her skin and rid her of the tears she’d shed and of that crimson reminder of pain and torment. The storm that had raged around her was a perfect echo of the one that raged within. Sometimes a crack of lightning would make her sharply inhale, reminding her of those wicked arcs of cruel energy that had injured her so.

Her feet were dangling off the cliff’s edge. Normally the thrill of it would excite her, but now she felt practically nothing. She looked like a wreck. She had managed to patch up her wounds over the course of the night, but that was only the surface damage. Mentally she was a shell of her former self, which translated on her physical appearance as well. Her hair was a tangled mess, her eyes had dark circles around them and she just expressed extreme despair in her body language. She just gazed off into the unending ocean as the sun slowly rose in the east. It cast her left side in its comfortingly warm rays of light, while her right side remained cold and dark.

Those were the only thoughts she really had. Cold and dark.

She kept replaying last night’s events in her mind, over and over again. Thinking if there was something she could’ve done differently. Yet there was one moment in particular that she kept coming back to. It circled around her, like a predator stalking its prey. One moment which inspired dread into her deepest core. She wished there could have been something that would’ve changed that fateful outcome. Something that could have spared her from the catastrophe that was currently unfolding within her.

---

Katja entered the Hedge with some form of renewed vigor. While not entirely the same, the support she received from Harper and Rory had given her mental state a small boost. Despite that, she still didn’t look quite like her usual self. She still had a disheveled and morose look to her. At least, she thought, her injuries weren’t at risk of being exposed anymore.

Getting into her AR suit had always been a great struggle for her. Somehow it always seemed too small to her, even if it fit like a glove when she finally got into the damned thing. Now though, without any help and with her wounds, it had been a painful ordeal. But at least the compression helped with her injuries.

She had been one of the first to enter. Even with all that had happened, this was one of the few habits that she’d never be able to let go. Katja couldn’t help but feel amped up as the rest of Blackjack filed in. There were doubts and questions floating in her mind, of course. But now that she was finally in the thick of it, she could feel that competitive spark finally come alive again within her. She even dared to put on a confident little smirk.

And then it all went to hell.

The red code, the sterile walls, the whispers... It made no sense at all. Some of her teammates seemed puzzled at the sudden change. Those who were responsible for the theming seemed horrified. The despondent expression on Harper’s face, Calliope on the brink of a panic attack. It made the color leave Katja’s face.

Suddenly darkness surrounded her again, like it did before. Was it despair that took a hold of her again? She could feel her right hand shaking involuntarily. The tempest inside her had started to pick up again. Had this brief moment of respite only been her traversing the eye of the storm? She could feel that odd presence claw its way up her back. Was she going to be lost again to her sorrow and pain?

Then the shaking stopped. Not by her own will, but by the grace of an angel.

Haven had grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. That small, comforting gesture calmed the troubled waters of Katja’s mind almost in an instant. She looked down, first at her hand and then at Haven. She smiled softly at the winged girl, returning a soft squeeze and giving a slight nod of appreciation to her. “Thanks Valkie, I really needed that.” Katja said softly before giving another gentle squeeze.

Her eyes then fell on a sight she wished she could have ignored.

Amma had isolated herself from their group, entering one of dozens of the side rooms. The voices chanting that name – Tiamat – had clearly affected her deeply. Hell, this entire area seemingly affected her to her very core.

It was only then that Katja realized what all of this was meant to be. She had heard the rumors of course, but never could she have imagined the dreariness of it all. Such a bleak place, devoid of all life and joy. The sterile innards of the Alexandria Foundation.

Slowly the cogs were turning in her head. If Amma had been part of an organization such as this, then it made sense that she would think of the world the way she does.

Katja observed the raven-haired girl as she spoke, more so to herself than to any one of them in particular. And for a moment she was dumbstruck by what she saw. It was so brief that you’d miss it if you blinked, but for that fleeting second that dreaded mistress of destruction was gone. Replaced by a seemingly fragile young girl.

Katja squeezed harder into Haven’s hand as she beheld Amma in that state. Ordinarily she’d rush to her, or any of her team who was in that state. To comfort them and shield them from prying eyes.

Katja was about to make her way over to Amma when she felt it lash up, like a coiled serpent striking with its venomous fangs.

Serves her right!

There it was again. Just like in the tent. Just like at breakfast. It lurched forward from the darkest pits of her soul, like a circling animal that finally struck out to hit its prey. Katja tensed in an instant, as if on command. Her jaw clenched shut, not allowing her to even speak. Her free hand balled up in a fist as her other hand squeezed even tighter around Haven’s hand, painfully so but she didn’t feel anything crumble in her hands. She realized just in time, letting go of the smaller hand in an instant.

She didn’t have time to process as to why she suddenly tensed, as while Amma rounded a corner a door opened on the other side. Two figures emerged from it, heralded by a frigid cold and ominous, thunderous footsteps.

Her footsteps.

The new pair looked eerily similar and yet noticeably different to Calliope and herself. Like cheap knock-offs. Or improvements if you were to ask the Foundation, Katja thought. The anti-Calliope jeered at her real world counterpart. It would usually raise her ire, but she wasn’t so much focused on that. No, her attention was aimed solely at her alternate self.

While the anti-Calliope seemed callous and cruel, she still seemed reserved. For the moment anyway. Her anti version on the other hand looked to be raring for a fight. One Katja would gladly give her as long as it served to protect her friends. She rolled her shoulders, the pain in them pretty much numbed by the sudden shot of adrenaline that was coursing through her veins, before mirroring the uncanny copy, cracking her knuckles in unison. But where the fake would issue forth taunts, Katja only gave a short reply.

“You talk too much.”

The two giants then charged at one another. The ground trembled at their earth shattering thread as dust shook from the ceiling and the windows of the surrounding class rooms rattled in their frames. Both raised their right fist, their dominant hand, at the same time, preparing to land a knock-out blow at the first strike.

A strike that never came.

Suddenly her path was blocked by a wall of translucent ice. Katja skidded across the floor as she tried to arrest her momentum, leaving a trail of broken white tiles in her wake. She only missed the wall by mere inches. And while she could probably get through it without too much effort, she didn’t know if it would inspire retaliation of the anti-Calliope.

Instead, she gazed through it at her initial target. It was like looking through a twisted mirror. It was her, Katja, but different. There was a cruel inflection within this version of her that seemed alien. And yet, familiar. She seemed more savage, more deranged rather than a hothead such as Katja considered herself. But while the uncanny sight of this warped image of herself was unsettling in many aspects, Katja couldn’t help but smile at one tiny detail. The scars, deep claw marks, would be proof that she’d had many close bouts in fights, were she real and not some simulation. It elicited a single word to escape from the real girl’s lips, one the fake probably couldn’t even hear.

“Amateur.”

All of the sudden she was cast in absolute darkness. The lights had gone out and Katja could feel the floor moving beneath her. Eventually her nose became overwhelmed by the smell of machine oil. Then shortly afterwards she could feel a liquid licking at her boots before the lights sprang back on.

They were dim, only providing the barest of illumination. But it was enough to get a bearing on her surroundings. It felt like an old industrial site, with machines suspended high above them and a grated overpass in between. The liquid was sticky and black, like tar or crude oil. Looking around, she saw that both Rory and Haven had also been transported into this pit with her.

Then there was a familiar voice, Lorcán’s, that called out to them. Was he with them too?

But as she looked up and saw a pair of boots on the overpass above, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. And sure enough, only a heartbeat later the anti-Lorcán released a spark that set the tar pit the trio stood in on fire. It would spread quickly their way, Katja knew that for certain. She could possibly weather it for a while, Rory too if he borrowed her powers. But Haven would be absolutely screwed.

Katja looked around her in desperation as to find a way out of this mess. She could probably scale the walls and take the girder down, but that’d take too long. No, she had to find another way of getting out of here.

There had to be another way she didn’t see to get up there!

And that was when it hit her. It was so obvious in hindsight.

She let out a cackle before she turned to look over at Rory, a wide grin on her face.

“Just like on the Field, bru!”

Everything was rapidly unravelling.

Lorcán looked around the narrow corridor at his gathered team. Harper was frozen, Calliope was succumbing to a panic attack, Rory had somehow slipped into either denial or obliviousness, Katja was apparently hurt and Amma had gone rogue.

Before Lorcán could even begin to process the fact he was now living in a reality with not one, but two of both Calliope and Katja, the room began to change. His eyes were plunged into total darkness, the scraping of stone and metal drowning out the screams and protests of his team members.

Just as suddenly as the darkness came, the dim light returned. Stopping himself from creating a torch, Lorcán took a look around the new room he found himself in alongside Aurora and Harper.

Something was awe-inspiring about being this far underwater. Lorcán was used to riding the surface of the ocean, he had never truly thought about taking up diving. However, after this experience, he couldn’t see himself going all-in on the hobby.

“That glass isn’t going to hold forever… we have to find a way out of here.” Aurora declared breaking the silence between the three as Lorcán’s molton gaze fixated on the slowly spreading crack.

“There has to be a set of controls on the other side, a way to deactivate the fail-safe.”

As Aurora turned to Harper, Lorcán realized that Aurora was still firmly holding his hand. His cheeks flushed before he reminded himself they weren’t exactly on a romantic picnic. Plus Harper was kind of involuntarily chaperoning, not exactly Lorcán’s idea of a first date.

“I’ll teleport and unlock the door.”

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea. Just...be careful.” Harper replied, clearly still trapped in her head. Her voice was hesitant, her eyes distant as they rolled from the door, back to the ominous wall of glass slowly succumbing to the pressure of the ocean.

Lorcán’s eyes followed Harper’s gaze before he gave Aurora a look, his eyes continuing to dart between the glass windows and the single sealed blast door.

"It'd be a grom move to just try without at least testing for an EBI field." He reluctantly admitted, taking a few steps forward before raising his hand. Taking a deep breath, Lorcán placed it on the blast door and exhaled a small sigh of relief. There was no overwhelming sense of nausea this time, the wall that stood between them and their escape was part of the trial.

There was still no telling what else it was about to throw at them.

"I still am not stoked about this."

“We don’t have a ton of options here, Lorcán. I’ve got to try.” Aurora asserted, squeezing his hand before letting go and not giving him another opportunity to detest. Lorcán felt his cheeks redden again, hoping that Harper was still too lost in her head to notice. A familiar sense of envy clawed at his chest while Lorcán watched the ease at which Aurora moved from one place to another.

“I found the panel! Give me a minute, I-”

Aurora’s excitement was cut short by a dark laugh. Before she had time to react, her face was slammed against the viewport in the door. Lorcán was forced to watch helplessly as her body crumbled and slid out of view.

“NO!” His anguish cry echoed through the room before Lorcán jetted forward, pounding his fists against the blast door. Igniting his hands with plasma, he pummeled them against the door, the heavy metal showing little more than minor scorch marks from his onslaught.

Slamming his hands against the door once more in frustration, Lorcán tried to compose himself. Feelings he had kept suppressed for years were clawing at his throat, rage, fury, and fear all trying to get out and consume him.

“Baxter.”

“Baxter!” Lorcán called trying to get Harper in the moment. “Baxter, brah, whatever is going through your mind, ignore it, let the sea have it. We need you, and we need that big brain of yours.”

“Boo!” The voice belonging to the laugh suddenly appeared in the viewport, smiling eyes and dark hair accentuating the familiar face.

“Bro, take a chill pull, Borealis is fine,” It sounded like Rory, it mostly looked like Rory but Lorcán knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was not Rory on the other side of that door.

“Well, mostly fine.” He cackled, looking down at the redheaded woman crumbled at his feet. The ambient temperature of the room rapidly began rise while Lorcán paced back and forth in front of the blast door. His molten eyes were unblinking as they watched the man on the other side.

“I’ll be with you in one second, Hothead.” Rory smiled before kneeling out of sight. “Since you’re not using these, baby cakes” He stated, touching Aurora’s unconscious form, “I think I’ll borrow them,” He added before teleporting into the room with Harper and Lorcán.

Hurling a blast of lightning towards the doppelgänger, Lorcán gritted his teeth in frustration as the Not-Quite-Rory easily teleported out of harm’s way before reappearing on the other side of the room.

“Damn, bro, I still can’t believe you haven’t hit that.” Rory taunted, teleporting again before Lorcán could strike. “If I spent a night in a tent with Red I’d have been all up in her,”

He dodged another attack.

“Multiple times.” Laughed echoed around the small room as Rory vanished again, drowning out another crack as a second fracture appeared in the window.

“Though, I guess I kind of already did,” Rory smiled before imitating striking himself in the back of the head with a dark chuckle. Lorcán hesitated before throwing another strike, he was wasting strength and HZEs at this point. If they were going to beat Rory, he needed to be smarter.

The only question was; what was going to go first, Rory’s duplicated powers, or the structural integrity of the window?

“Is it because of your little thing for Amma? ‘Cause, bro, you can totally just have both. Just like don’t be stupid about it, hell, I bet if you play your cards right you and Harper here can scratch each other’s itch. Y’know before you die virgins.”

Rory’s eyes darted between the trapped pair and the window.

“‘Cause you are gonna totally die in here.”

Lorcán watched the clone carefully, slowly taking a couple steps towards Harper, before whispering as Rory continued to play mind games with the pair

“Oh, Harps, don’t look at me like that, we both know you’re not a virgin, just trying to make Rothy feel better about being the only one in the room.” Rory mocked while hanging upside down from the ceiling.

“That blast door,” Lorcán muttered out of the side of his mouth, trying to subtlety communicate with Harper, “Should have a manual override. The access port likely isn’t obvious to the average pair of eyes, but to you…”

The incessant chatter of the doppelgänger increased in volume, drowning out Lorcán’s whispers.

“Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the surprise for Gil, I’m evil, not a monster, Si told me it was kind of a secret for you.”

“Heya, Sis,” Sierra’s voice suddenly called from the other side of the door as she held Aurora up by her neck. “Your friend isn’t looking so good, I was hoping she’d be awake to watch her loverboy, well you know-” She taunted before miming drowning noises.

The sound of water suddenly coming through the crack felt deafening to Lorcán as he watched the two fractures suddenly meet.

“Go!” He ordered Harper, flaring up again as he superheated the air in front of his fist and launched a barrage at Rory.

“I’ll cover you!”