Skai

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

I have adjusted my ad according to the new title.

The Uncanny X-Babies - Concluded

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Vertigo

Location: Sisterhood Base
Skills: N/A

Elara could only stand and watch as the group around her continued to battle the T-Rex. What little she'd done already seemed to be just useless efforts. Her lips pressed into a frown. All of these people had abilities that could affect things physically. Her own strength was much different. At the moment, it was frustrating to realize that she couldn't do much against a threat like this.

It was still hard to grasp that this pre-historic animal was real. If it was just an illusion, like everything had been before, then how was it able to hurt them? What other forces were at play, here?

It was then that Elara heard the voices. She immediately turned her attention towards the source of them. The ceiling? Were they in some observation room, obscured from view? The first voice was unrecognizable, but Elara felt her blood boil as she heard the second. Rae Gardner. So, this really had been just a set up? She knew they were being sent into a trap. She was most likely hoping that they would finish each other off in a fight. Now that things weren't going her way, she'd decided to do it herself.

Gardner spoke again, this time referring to the first voice as sister. It was then that Elara finally pieced two and two together, which made her feel completely stupid that she hadn't figured it out already. These sisters were behind the death of Serval Industries former CEO, Harrison Snow. In what other ways had Gardner lead Serval Industries wrong in the past few months? It wouldn't be safe to return to Serval, and now she realized that it wouldn't be safe to return home. This woman knew everything about her. She knew her identity, and her face. Father... She thought, instantly feeling fear for his safety. If they didn't stop her soon, she could use his safety as a threat.

Elara was shocked to see four new threats materialize in the room. "So, Gardner is an illusionist too?" She murmured to herself, but she soon grimaced as she saw the illusions cause physical damage to her new acquaintances. Before she could step in to help, she also saw the man in green leather aim an arrow towards the voices. Only for the arrow to come hurtling back down towards him. They're using each of their abilities against us to make the illusions real. She curled her hands into fists in anger. How can we beat that?

Looking around, Elara saw that Watts had killed one of the velociraptors. They were able to be beaten, but wouldn't Gardner and her friends simply conjure up more illusions to fight? When would it end? How could Elara help to end it in her companion's favors? She needed to get to the source. She needed to get out of this room. Or she needed to play a few tricks on Gardner too.

In order to do so, Elara stopped affecting the T-Rex's sight. It would hardly matter if the beast could see. The illusion of the beast wasn't what they needed to fear. Whatever was causing the physical pain was what they needed to fear. They wouldn't know what it was until the illusions were dismantled. "Why wasn't I also gifted with the ability to see through illusions?" She grumbled, glancing around at the action before she thought of the only thing that could help them all at once. She was going to have to take on the sisters.

Hesitantly, Elara closed her eyes to the action before her. The sounds of chaos faded into the background as Elara focused all of her attention on what she was about to do. She searched the room with her mind, seeking out the strong minds of the three women that were playing with them. Swallowing, she attempted to sneak her way into the heads of the Mastermind sisters. Unfortunately, she felt herself lose touch as quickly as she started. This isn't a good time for this to happen. She thought as she shook out her hands. One more try. She wasn't sure who the third voice had been, but she could feel their presence near the Mastermind sisters. It was the last resort, and Elara put all of her focus into reaching out for her. If she was successful, she would give the woman a strong enough sensation of Vertigo that she would be writhing on the ground.

"You should learn not to mess with people more powerful then you," Madelyn's voice appeared in Elara's head, before she would end up frozen in place, unable to move.

Elara's eyes flew open, wide in sheer terror. As much as she tried, her muscles would not budge. Instant panic set in. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and it felt like the large room had gotten much smaller-_{as small as a car}. No, no no! This couldn't be happening. She'd underestimated the third woman immensely. What was she going to do now? _{Scream for help. Elyse is dead. There's something in the back of your neck.} Elara shut her eyes tightly, trying to block out the flashbacks that were haunting her as she stood in place.

Please, stop. She begged in her head. It was a last ditch effort that the woman would have mercy on her. If this didn't work, she was sure that the panic would overwhelm her.

Meadow Ridge Institute

"Ah, Hanae! Welcome back!" Asami Hatano cheerfully greeted Hanae, her cheeks pushing her glasses up her face as she grinned. Her cheerful disposition remained ever present, even after a long break between soccer seasons. Hanae knew she could always rely on Hatano-sensei's support. She was the team's very own cheerleader.

"Hello, Hanae! How was your summer?" Hisa Naya chimed in as she laid out a stack of parent permission slips on the table. "I hope you've been practicing over vacation."

Hanae nodded her head, smiling sheepishly at her mentor. Naya-sensei was her favorite coach, but she would never admit it out loud. She was the coach that pushed students to do better; the one that would stick around past hours to work through an issue they were having with their technique. Hanae looked up to her with the utmost respect. Even though Naya-sensei was never disappointed in her students, Hanae always tried her best to exceed her expectations.

"Yes, Naya-sensei. I've gotten especially good at my offensive moves."

Out of the corner of her eye, Hanae could see a few students making their way towards the table. She could tell they were first year students; the way they shyly whispered to encouragement to each other was a tell-all. Hanae remembered whispering encouragement to herself when she first approached the stand.

With a small nod towards the new students, Hanae gave Naya-sensei and Hatano-sensei a signal that she was going to leave by bowing her head. "I'll see you at practice!" The two instructors each nodded and said goodbye before turning to greet the two newcomers.

Hanae smiled reminiscently as she watched the two speak with the women's coaches, and then turned to be on her way. She began to make her way back towards the entrance to the room. On her way she saw a few of her old classmates from last year. She bowed her head, smiling and waving at them. They didn't stop to chatter. They knew that she wasn't one for huge social gatherings aside from parties and soccer games. So, they respectfully moved onward. So did Hanae.

She could see the entrance in the distance, but she still had a bit of crowd to move through to get there. Soon, she would be in her new dorm room with her books. Maybe she'd go one of her secret spots later to get a bit of writing in. She was feeling inspired by all of the new and old faces around her. The seasons were changing, and she was changing with them.

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

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The tears stopped flowing after a few minutes. Eli's anguish quickly turned into a hardened resolve. She couldn't let Radvi's body go into shock, she wouldn't let him die. Her eyes were sore, still closed to the bloody sight before her. She dared not open them, in case she lost control of her illusion. Her back was aching, and her lungs felt like fire. She was still struggling to breathe. It felt like she'd been running and running for ages, even if she'd only started a few minutes ago. She knew she was overworking herself, but she continued to push herself harder.

She knew what would happen if she went too far. An old classmate had overstretched their abilities before, right in front of her. She'd seen the moment that their body broke from the exhaustion. Even though she felt her mind stretching further than it ever had before, she felt like it was only making her stronger. With every beat of Radvi's pulse against her fingers, Eli knew she was doing the right thing.

On the edge of her awareness, Eli felt an arm wrap itself around her shoulders. She gratefully accepted the support, using the embrace as a means of staying upright. Her head hung low, her free hand gripping Radvi's shoulder to comfort both herself and the injured officer. 'There is no pain,' she kept convincing his fractured mental state. 'Warm water is trickling down your face. You're going to be fine.'

She heard a voice calling to her. It sounded like it was a mile away, but she knew that it was closer than she thought. She opened her focus to listen to the voice and soon realized that Keaton had joined them in the ravine. She needed to describe the pain. They were telling the doctors what they were going to deal with when Radvi arrived.

Speaking was agonizing. She had to concentrate harder on her ability to get the air out of her throat, but she managed. This was important. It was worth her time. It was worth risking Radvi's comfort.

"I feel-" She began, her voice hoarse and hitching with every breath she took. It sounded distant and muffled, but Eli could only hope that Keaton and the doctors would understand her. "His head... the bullet-it hit his brain." She sounded surprisingly calm- or did she sound exhausted? Maybe it was a mixture of both. Keaton and the doctor were speaking again, but Eli wanted to make sure they knew where the worst parts of his pain were coming from. "The worst pain is coming from his jaw, his cheekbone, and-" She took another arduous breath. The longer she spoke, the harder it was to get the words out. "-the front side of his head."

Her mind was fuzzy for a few moments and she felt herself leaning against the steady support of the arm behind her. Her head slowly dropped, bu the sensation of gravity woke her before she lost consciousness. She straightened herself as best as she could, her grip tightening on Radvi's shoulder. His pulse continued to beat, but she could tell it was getting weaker. 'It's just warm water... There is no pain.'

Another voice broke into her consciousness. It mentioned getting to an infirmary faster. Eli's hazy mind slowly pieced the dots together: infirmary. . .teleport. Amelia.

Amelia could get Radvi to the infirmary within a seconds passing. He'd get help there- real help. Eli already knew that she wouldn't last much longer. She could feel her mind getting closer to that breaking point. She was stretched too far and too thin, like butter scraped over too much bread. As much as she'd like to go with them to the hospital, she wouldn't be of much use.

"Take him." Her voice was soft, and she allowed herself to open her eyes. The world around her was bleary, but she could make out that Lynn was still applying pressure to Radvi's face and Amelia was nearby. She looked straight at Amelia, wanting to make sure the girl knew exactly what she wanted. "Take Lynn too. Please... Just get him there now."

She couldn't hold onto Radvi any longer. If she did, she knew that her mind would shatter. It hurt to let go, but it wouldn't do either of them any good if she hurt herself too. The pain was already too much. "Go." She uttered before her hands slipped away from Radvi's body. She lost connection fast.

What felt like a rubber band that had been stretched between herself and Radvi snapped apart, and she felt the side attached to her come back and strike her. The shock traveled through her body and her muscles slackened in response. She fell backwards, into the strong embrace of whoever had been holding her up this whole time. It was comforting to know that someone was there to catch her. Just like when her mom or dad had been there. Her head rested on his shoulder, and what parts of her conscious that still remained could smell a mix of cologne, alcohol, perfume, and sweat. Archie. She thought. She would have thanked him for being there, but she was too focused on breathing now. Radvi will be okay. She tried to convince herself, as if she was the one that needed the illusion now.

It will all be okay.

The Uncanny X-Babies - Concluded

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Vertigo

Location: Sisterhood Base
Skills: N/A

Elara was apprehensive of her calm approach as she noticed the blonde pull out an entire sword. The rest didn't really seem to care. Psylocke's presence was the only thing they reacted to. Jolene came up to give her a hug. Elara awkwardly patted her back, caught off guard that practically a stranger showed her such affection. Especially on a mission. As the girl pulled away from her, Elara felt warmth emanate from her neck and pass down her spine into her body. She blinked, suddenly feeling much stronger. Jolene had done something, and Elara gave her a small nod of thanks. She wasn't sure if she would it against this group; they seemed pretty calm at this point. If things went south, though, Elara would be able to handle each of the rogues.

Psylocke exchanged words with the rogue team members, and Elara glanced between the tall woman with red hair as she spoke and the unconscious man on the floor. Dead? Was this the team member that presumably died in the attack from Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch? She eyed the body, wondering just how complicated this entire mission was. Gardner lied to all of them, but why? What had she expected to come out of this mission?

Elara was about to voice her concern about Gardner to the entire group, but found herself stumbling back as the room around her shifted. What? Another illusionist? But how? And who? She turned to reach for the door behind her, but it and the entire wall it was attached to vanished. Instead, she found herself staring at empty space until a huge wall about 20 feet before her stopped it. Elara looked around the entire room. They'd been in a giant room this entire time. Was the whole building just a room? When had the real world melted into the illusion?

She didn't have much time to think about that, as she laid eyes on a full-sized T-Rex. "Oh, fuck," she muttered, wincing as the beast released a guttural roar. At first she was convinced that it was just another illusion, but as the quick-to-attack team members around her began to assault the dinosaur, Eli was shocked to see it was real. Especially when it tail-whipped a few of them. She was also surprised to see that neither Psylocke nor the unconscious man was in the room with them.

Frustration and anger suddenly flowed through Elara's veins. She'd been fooled, this entire time. Even when she was examining Psylocke, she appeared completely real. Either the illusionist was a strong one, or Psylocke had slipped off and been replaced by an illusion the moment she left the elevator. After all, that had been the only time her back was to the purple woman. So, was she behind this, too?

The others in the room weren't faring well against the beast, so Elara decided it was time for her to step in. There was certainly nothing she could do physically against it, but she had other means of debilitating a person or creature. Fortunately she remembered a school lesson when they covered the Cretacious period in school. Tyrannosaurus Rex were smart creatures, their brain larger than a humans, but they relied on their depth perception and smell to hunt their prey. Their hearing was sub-par. So, the best Elara could think of to hinder the beast would be to remove the most important ones, it's sight and smell. It would be the best low effort move. An illusion wouldn't be enough, unfortunately.

"Alright, everyone! I'm gonna need some cover, but I may be able to stop the beast from smelling and seeing you," she explained, shouting so that the group could hear her over the chaos. It felt odd to explain what she was about to do, but she knew that the group of old Serval employees would need an explanation. "You're all capable of stopping this beast, but you're going to need my help!"

That said, Elara backed a few yards away from the action, keeping her eyes on the T. Rex. She felt her mind reach for the dinosaurs, and an eerie feeling crawled over her body as she connected with it. She'd never attempted this with an animal, but she knew that the science behind their perceptions worked the same as a humans. First, she searched for it's sense of sight, and successfully rendered its eyes useless. It was the first step, but she knew that she still needed to remove the big one: smell. Unfortunately, as she stretched her control over the beast she found it difficult to hinder it's smell as well. She would have normally stopped and tried again, but she wasn't sure if she could. So, instead of the risk of losing the entire illusion, Elara decided to stick with the one she'd already cast.

"Okay, scratch that! It can't see you, but it can still smell you. There are still ways to get around that! You've got this." For now, Elara would just hold tight and hope that the action wouldn't come her way. "How many superabled does it take to stop a T. Rex?" She mumbled, making a joke of the situation to keep herself from fearing it.

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

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As if Radvi had come at the perfect moment, Eli felt a wave of relief as she heard what sounded like two pairs of feet crashing through the woods. Lynn began to move forwards, towards Arianna, and Eli felt her body tense in a sudden rush of adrenaline. This was it. This was the moment she was waiting for. The bitch was caught. Radvi would jump in and distract her, and Eli would aid in her capture by giving the killer all she could. Lynn was there to burn.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Eli prepared to reach out for Arianna again, but for a moment she was confused by the what looked to be a taser in Radvi's hand. She didn't have enough time to process the thought completely. Eli scrambled to claw her way out of the thicket as Arianna booked it, followed closely by Agent Radvi. She wasn't going to let Arianna out of her sight. She couldn't. Not until Radvi had her in nullifying handcuffs. All thoughts of safety or however Amelia would react to his appearance disappeared the moment she felt she lost sight of Radvi.

When Eli finally managed to catch up to the pair, she was able to catch the instant that Radvi hit Arianna with the taser. Except... it didn't shock her. It liquified her. As if her body had morphed into the blue goo, but couldn't quite keep itself together. Eli stood still in shock, her blood running cold as she realized exactly what kind of taser it was. It's... a nullifier? She'd seen a wide range of ways to nullify a parahuman's ability while she was aboard The Promise. To have technology that was capable of this was unheard of. The sight of this taser and witnessing its affects firsthand sent chills down Eli's spine. It was a huge red flag and it left Eli with a nauseous feeling in her stomach. She found it difficult to move forwards, even if Radvi may need her help.

If The Promise was capable of producing nullifying tasers, they were capable of producing much more dangerous nullifiers. The images of nullifying firearms flashed through Eli's mind, and she felt genuine fear for her people. If nullifying weapons like that got into the wrong hands, it would mean that not even The Promise was a "safe" space for parahumans to coexist. Although it felt good to know that parahumans like Arianna could be stopped, it still made Eli wonder if it would ever be turned against the peaceful parahumans as well.

Radvi looked surprised. He didn't expect it to work? Or he was just in awe of its effects? Eli watched him move towards the blue puddle in the dirt, reloading the taser with another cartridge. Eli cautiously moved forwards, and for a moment she saw the flicker of Lynn's light on the other side of the action. What did Lynn think of the taser? She was probably disgusted. She wouldn't trust Radvi after tonight. Eli was certain. D was close behind Radvi, and Eli wondered how long the pair had been together that evening. Or if they'd met up on the way over?

These were the thoughts that ran through Eli's mind as it seemed that the action was over. Still, Eli looked at the surrounding forest. The gut feeling that Arianna was playing them still lingered, and Eli felt herself lurch forwards as she spotted a figure rapidly makings its way towards Radvi. It's a trap! She took a step towards the scene and opened her mouth to shout, but it was too late.

Arianna, the real Arianna was fast. Faster than Eli could have ever expected her to be. Eli watched in shock as she crashed into the electronic bobble head and sent him tumbling down a hill of fallen trees. Arianna's body was morphing like a wave, but instead of being mesmerized by her fluidity it only reminded Eli of how astonishingly powerful Arianna was in real life. Even if this was what Eli expected the real Arianna to be like, it still instilled sheer terror to see it in action. Arianna was headed towards Radvi now, and instead of stepping in to save him Eli was frozen in terror. She could only stand and watch as Radvi was quickly disarmed and thrown. Eli felt fear for her friend and stepped forwards to finally jump in. She could distract Arianna, and then he could get the taser back. As long as her focus wasn't on hurting the only security guard that gave a shit.

She kept her eyes on the woman as she made her way towards Radvi, watching as she broke the taser like it was made of plastic. Oh, fuck. Fuck-what now? Sound. D showed them that sound could dismantle her figure. But D was still in the mass of broken trees below them. There was no way he could produce enough sound, and even if he could would Eli be able to handle affecting Arianna? Earlier it had just been a separate piece of her and it felt wrong. This was the real deal now. Would affecting just a small part of her be enough? Did she even have a center mind, like a queen bee in a honey hive?

Radvi suddenly began to fire at the woman, unexpectedly frightening Eli with the loud noise. She grabbed a nearby tree, taking cover in case any bullets ricocheted off of the trees behind Arianna. The bullets were going straight into her, but they didn't do anything but slow her down. Eli peeked around the tree just in time to see Arianna lunge for Radvi. In a matter of seconds, Arianna tossed Radvi into the mass of fallen trees with D.

There was no sound but the crashing of dead tree limbs and Radvi's body for a few moments, but it was quickly silenced after one last round from Radvi's pistol. Eli felt her heart pounding in her chest, and she watched as Arianna rejoined bodies with the doppelganger. Now, Eli! Get her now! She thought, but her body didn't budge. She was still clutching the tree, her eyes staring straight at Arianna but her mind trying to comprehend what may or may not have happened to Radvi during his fall. It was denial that kept her in her place. It was hope that the gun had fired off into the air. That it landed five inches into dirt instead of the person holding the gun.

Arianna slowly dissolved into the dirt and Eli stared at the spot for a few moments. How had such a hope driven capture gone so wrong? The only thing they'd done wrong was underestimate Arianna. They'd been fooled by the doppelganger. All of them had been so foolish. Lynn came into the clearing, but Eli made no attempt to go to her. Lynn hadn't stepped in either. Was she scared, too? Or was it the taser that scared her? Eli watched her pick up the broken pieces and stash them by a tree nearby. Why?

Lynn quickly made her way in Radvi and D's direction. Eli slowly followed, stopping in the same spot that Arianna had gone into the ground. She knelt into the dirt and grabbed a handful, squeezing it tightly. Her eyes shut tight, and she began to reach her mind into the dirt as if Arianna was still hidden in it's crevices. For a moment, it felt like she'd connected with a few pieces of Arianna's consciousness. Or maybe what her drunk mind assumed it was. She held onto the connection for as long as she could, wishing whatever pieces of Arianna's mind she was fucking with would imagine itself on fire. That's how this should have ended.

The connection slipped out of reach as easily as the dirt slipped through Eli's fingers. She remained in place for another moment, her body shaking from the adrenaline that was still pumping through her veins. When she felt calm enough to move again, the frustration of losing Arianna was instantly replaced by worry. Her body carried itself to the edge of the deadfall, and without a second thought about it she began to climb her way down until she could see Lynn and D leaning over Radvi.

"Radvi!" She shouted, ignoring the scrapes and bruises she was getting as she ran towards the huddle. She was going to ask Lynn and D if he was okay, but the moment she saw Radvi clearly she was fixed in terror. "Radvi!?" Her voice was tight with anguish. Her hands shook as she crashed into a kneeling position beside Lynn, reaching for Radvi's neck to check for a pulse. It was there: faint, but there. Eli released a shaky sob of relief, but there were tears gathering in her eyes and they made Lynn and D and Radvi's bloody face and torso blur. "I-is Cara getting h-help?" Eli asked, her voice strained as she attempted not to sob any further. The tears were flowing freely, but as long as she felt a pulse in Radvi's neck she knew that there was hope. There had to be hope. Eli had been too scared to help Radvi, and she couldn't be too scared to help him now. She shut her eyes tightly, doing the only thing that she could think to do.

It was difficult after her earlier failed attempts, but Eli was relieved to feel how easy it was to connect with Radvi's singular mind. It was going to be extremely difficult to rid Radvi completely of the pain he was experiencing, but she was going to try her damn best to do so. All she could do was sit tight and concentrate all of her focus and energy on convincing Radvi's mind that all of the nerve endings in his face weren't on fire. The level of strain that Eli felt already let her know that the pain must have been excruciating. She bent her head, fresh tears flowing down her cheeks and landing on Radvi's barely moving chest. Her shoulders shook every now and then and Eli felt like it was hard to breathe, but the outside world was distant as she kept her focus on Radvi. All she could do was hope that help would come soon, and that she could keep him from the pain for as long as it took.

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

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Eli half expected Amelia to vanish right in front of her. She wouldn't have felt any different towards her. This situation was frightening, and it became more and more so with every second spent near Arianna. The only reason Eli wasn't shaking in her leopard print shoes was the image of Zeke's memorial, and the faint screams of her people in the darkness of the forest. With Amelia's shaky nod, Eli suddenly felt confidence soar through her. This plan would work. She just had to make sure that Amelia wouldn't get hurt because of her own need to see this through. Eli gave her a firm nod as Amelia took her arm. She would certainly not have enough in her to cloak the both of them, but she would do her damn best to make sure that Amelia was hidden.

She followed Amelia's gaze back into the forest, and Eli laid eyes on Arianna for the first time in person. The anger she felt at the sight of the distant figure made her blood boil. She barely felt Amelia's fearful grip on her arm. When Amelia mentioned D, Eli gave her an inquisitive glance, but made a note to ask about it later. She'd seen Arianna before. She knew what she was capable of, and yet she chose to stay and help Eli. It was brave of her. Lynn and Amelia were both brave. Eli's courage only grew with that thought. Misters Black and White may believe that danger surrounds their little group, but Eli believed that they were the only ones that could stand against the danger together. There was a reason that Arianna had chosen her next spot near the bonfire. Whether it was fate or coincidence, Eli didn't give a shit what it was.

Amelia spotted their destination, but Eli didn't even bother to double check the spot. She had faith in her physics-defying friend. As the cloth went over Eli's eyes, all she could do was hold tight and enjoy the ride. It all happened within a matter of seconds, but Eli's body suddenly felt wrong. It knew it was in a different place, but it wasn't sure how it got there. Eli held tight as the wave of nausea came and passed, but it took her a moment to get her bearings. She gave Amelia a thumbs up to let her know that she was okay before she adjusted her position to kneel on the dirt below them. From their little hiding spot in the bushes, Eli could see that they were behind Arianna. The woman was small; smaller than Eli expected to be honest. It honestly looked like she was the same age and height of Lynn. Arianna is a fucking teenager? She thought, her fingers gripping her jeans tightly. This girl is responsible for the breakout?

Eli couldn't believe it. Her gut told her that it was true; the person before them resembled the person in D's footage. Even if it was shaky and blurred, Eli knew that it was Arianna that stood nearly ten feet from her. Was she this young looking in the footage? No, it hardly mattered her age. What mattered was that she was right there and 300 parahumans were dead. Eli pressed her lips together into a tight line as she listened to Arianna speak. This is all a sham. Don't fall for it, Lynn. She'll try to rip you apart the second she thinks you're weak.

Arianna turned her head in their direction and Eli froze. Out of instinct, Eli reached her mind to connect with Arianna's in an attempt to make the thicket appear thicker. Something odd struck Eli as she did so. With every other person on the space boat, Eli felt at ease affecting their perception of their environment. When she reached for Arianna's mind, she suddenly felt overwhelmed with the effort it took. She grabbed onto Amelia's arm beside her. It felt secure to hold onto something, as if it were an anchor in the sea of bushes. She'd expected to feel some restrain, but she never expected it to feel like this. Like Arianna's conscious was split between a hundred or more parts. Maybe even more. Was Eli even able to affect all of Arianna? The woman probably had eyes everywhere. Were they already busted? Had Eli's attempt to conceal Amelia and herself futile?

Fortunately, Arianna's gaze never strayed towards the thicket. She was looking past them, and she soon turned back to face Lynn. Eli released Amelia's arm as she stopped her attempt to conceal their location. Her hand went to her head, and she took a few quiet breaths to regain her composure. If she needed to do more than conceal her location, it was going to take a lot more energy. Was Eli prepared for that, in her state? She looked up at Amelia, realizing that her reaction to it all probably wasn't reassuring for the girl. In an attempt to console Amelia, Eli smiled sheepishly and shrugged. Hopefully Amelia would just pass it off as fear of Arianna.

Lynn was getting closer to Arianna now. She gave the fugitive an ultimatum. Eli felt her body tense. Why would Lynn help her? After all she'd done to the station? Hadn't Lynn heard the same pleas for help as Eli? Even if humans were cruel and twisted, and Arianna probably had a reason to hate them, she was still responsible for 300 deaths. Whether it was by her own young hands or she was helped by someone older with a bigger grudge. Eli wanted to walk out of the thicket and stop it. She wanted to confront Arianna and see if the girl would still feel scared and guilt ridden when she was reminded of what she'd done. She wanted to see that Arianna was in fact as ruthless and evil as Eli imagined her to be.

But, Eli stayed where she was. Her body was shaking with anger, but she knew not to chance getting Lynn or Amelia hurt with her own emotions. If Arianna chose to attack, Eli would definitely take action then. For now, all she could do was sit and listen. Radvi, hurry, she thought, biting her bottom lip. She wasn't sure how much longer she could handle this. Arianna was much more of a threat the longer she was free.

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

---

’Alert: Target within 100 feet’

Eli couldn't feel the tips of her fingers, or the heat of Lynn's nearby presence on her skin. She was numb. The only sensation she felt was a tightness in her chest. She'd stopped breathing. Her eyes were fixed on the forest before her, and in the light of Lynn's glow she could make out a patch of leave-less trees before her. The trees were dead. 300 hundred parahumans were dead. Zeke was dead. Because of the woman that was less than 100 feet before her. The blue goo in the jar. The stowaway that The Promise allowed to slip past their guard.

She'd never expected to be the one to find her first. It would have been Radvi- it should have been Radvi. Should it have been Radvi? What could he do, but call for backup and fight her off until the nullifiers arrived? Eli wasn't as strong as he was, but she had been gifted with something a lot stronger instead. Would her ability be enough to hold her in place until the others came? Would she be able to withstand a few hits, and hold an illusion over a woman that could morph and separate her body into smaller pieces? It would take a lot of energy and concentration. More than I can handle... She thought; the realistic part of her mind making its way into the melee of her thoughts.

She heard Amelia's words, but they sounded distant and muffled. Her focus was still on the space before her. Her ears were honed in on the sounds of shoveling. Amelia was right. It was a shovel and dirt. Had the woman killed again? Who was it this time? A security guard? A trainer? A student? Like Zeke? There was one last shhnk before the world was quiet. Eerily quiet. She knows. She heard the alarm. She's transformed into blue goo and she's coming. Eli felt sick. Sick with fear- with anger. The quiet was replaced by distant sounds of cries for help. The screams were getting louder the longer the silence lasted. Eli's fingers curled into fists, her nails digging crescent moon shapes into the palms of her hands. 300 parahumans. She began to breathe again; long, laboured breaths. The shoveling suddenly continued, but Eli wasn't fooled. Arianna had to have heard them. This was a trick. Some sick joke before blue goo came crawling up her leg and wrapped itself around her neck.

She flinched as she felt something warm clamp itself around her mouth. Her hands came up to grasp whatever was attacking her face, but as she heard Lynn's whispers she stopped herself inches before the girl's wrist. As brave as Lynn sounded, Eli was unable to complete the girls wishes. Even if she wanted to hide from Arianna, she was too far away from her to have any affect on her. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay and make sure this blue bitch was taken down.

Lynn released her mouth, and Eli took a deep breath. There was no way she was going to leave. Not when Lynn was walking into the dark, towards the woman who was responsible for a massacre. Eli could tell what Lynn's plan was the moment she felt the heat emanating from the small girl. It would be dangerous to be around Lynn when she was relinquishing her control over her fire. Eli would have to be very careful, but she was going to stay and watch this bitch burn. Lynn couldn't be left alone right now. Not in her inebriated state. Not after she just word vomited what had been bothering her earlier. There was a chance that the girl would get carried away and forget about her own safety. Eli couldn't allow that. Everyone needed someone in dark times. Even Lynn. And tonight felt like one of the darkest nights of all.

Eli turned towards Amelia, keeping her eyes focused on the girl as she slowly began to back towards the direction of Lynn's light. She was wise to keep her eyes on the other, in case Lynn had warned her to get them out of there. "Look, Amelia... I understand that you have every right to get out of here as fast as possible," she began, her voice as sincere as it could be considering the current situation. "I can't leave Lynn here alone. I'm going to help her. The alarm you heard also alerted a security friend of mine, and I'm sure he's on the way too. We just have to hold her off for a little while. If you don't want to stay, maybe you could go back to the fire and get everyone away from here for me." She'd reached a good distance away now, and she suddenly noticed that the sounds of shoveling had stopped. Lynn. She found her.

"If you stay, then I need your help to get close to her. I can only affect her mind if I'm within 30 feet. I could really use someone to get me close enough to damage her and get out of there before she can hit me back." She looked over her shoulder now, spotting Lynn's light in the distance. "Are you with me?" She asked, her voice hushed now in case she could hear anything from Lynn's direction.

The Uncanny X-Babies - Concluded

---

---

Vertigo

Location: Sisterhood Base
Skills: N/A

Elara felt her suspicion of this man rise, and also a bit of anger as well. He made absolutely no effort to answer her question. She tightened her fists in response and pressed her lips together, ready to take offensive action. He obviously didn't belong here, which made him her enemy for now. She was prepared to take him down physically, using her ability as an ace up her sleeve if she couldn't handle a hand to hand fight.

Unfortunately, he acted too quickly. As whatever he aimed their way came flying past, Elara stepped out of its way. She felt the air from it pass by her, and a moment later she saw a flash of green leather as the man propelled himself out of the door. She was held in place for a moment. In shock that she'd let him get away so easily. Her eyes glanced towards Psylocke, wondering if the woman wanted to pursue or not. Without waiting for her command, Elara turned and rushed out of the room into the hall. She looked both ways down the hall, and she even squinted into the shadows in case he was merely hiding in them. Nothing. It was like the man had been a ghost. A hooded, green, asshole of a ghost.

Elara huffed and shook her head. "Must have been someone pretty important to put on a costume and break into this place," she muttered to herself. She reached up to adjust the lace mask on her face, comforted that she'd hidden her identity from the stranger. At least she didn't have to deal with his silence again.

As her frustration slowly died down, Elara suddenly noticed a gaping hole in the ceiling to her left. She stepped over a few large pieces of rubble to stand beneath the hole, peering up into the hallway above. "You think this was Robin Hood or our rogue colleagues?" She asked Pyslocke, whom she assumed had followed her into the hallway. Before she could hear Psylocke's answer, she could hear the sounds of muffled voices from a few doors down. "I guess we're about to find out," she said with a much softer tone.

Advancing towards the source of the voices, Elara made sure to take light steps around each piece of rubble. She and Psylocke took similar positions as their last encounter with a closed door, and Elara once again waited for Psylocke's nod of approval before making her move. This time, as soon as Elara opened the door, she was encountered by the sight of an entire group of people. A few faces she recognized herself belonging to Casey and Jolene. The rest resembled the descriptions that Psylocke had given them of their disobedient coworkers. As she quickly glanced over them, she noticed there was a spot of blood on the ground and an unconscious man on the floor.

"Well, I see we're late to the party," she murmured, slowly stepping inside so Psylocke can follow her. "I'm also going to assume that there's no reason to feel threatened because no one's weapons are raised. So, will someone care to explain whats going on here?"

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

---

The bottle went slack in Eli's hand. Lynn was putting on a little light show, whether she knew it or not. It was captivating. Like the illusions Eli created when she was in her room and lonely. Except this was real life. It was real.

"Eeli?" Lynn slurred, pulling her back into reality. She blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the light of Lynn's face. Both of her eyebrows raised as she waited for Lynn to continue. Wow, she was feeling shitfaced right now. Maybe she was enhancing Lynn's light at the moment, but it seemed to absorb the area around them. As if she was her own little bonfire. The bonfire. How were the rest of them doing? Did the newbies find someone else to talk to already? Eh. We'll find out later. The night was still young.

"Thanks."

Eli smiled at her sickly friend, giving her a light little shrug. Bringing her water was the least she could do. She couldn't count the amount of times that she'd held a friend's hair back while they upchucked into a toilet or by a tree. Lynn's next garbled comment proved her point. All Eli could do was laugh, her shoulders shaking and her body leaning backwards a bit as the laugh spread through her body. It was the first genuine laugh in a while, and it felt good. "I'll tell everyone to look out," she mused.

"Eli." Lynn continued. Eli pushed her hair back from her face, brushing the joke away before she continued to laugh. She adjusted her knees below herself, getting comfortable. It looked like Lynn had something serious to let out. Maybe it was the reason she was so down all of the time, or just some sad observation she made tonight. Either way, Eli was there for her. She might have been almost as drunk as the girl before her, but she still had a grip on herself. She was prepared to comfort Lynn if needed.

Lynn's voice was quiet, and honestly difficult to understand. Eli's brows furrowed at first, and she leaned in a little closer to hear the younger girl's words. She never formed a full sentence; it was more like a bunch of little puzzle pieces were being spread out around her. There was a piece missing. Or three, or four. They were all connected somehow, but they were different scenarios. She was going so fast. A woman was going to do something to Archie? What woman? Arianna. . . No, that's not it. Not her.

Eli felt her heart sink into her stomach as the girl continued. She knew exactly how Lynn was feeling, but in her own way. What did Lynn know about The Promise already? What had this place done to her in such a short span of time? She thought of the first day Eli met her, trying to connect these pieces to what she'd heard in the mall. The others would know, wouldn't they? Lynn mentioned not thinking about anything, but then she mentioned a he and she. Eli assumed that she meant Archie and Nat. She recalled Archie's burnt hand at the mall. At least she was able to connect those dots.

Eli pursed her lips and frowned. It was hard to see so many emotions flash across Lynn's face. Eli wanted to ask her [i]so many questions[/b]. About her past. About the scars. About who was going to hurt Archie. For now, though, she could only ask one. [color=E5D00FF]"What do you believe everyone is thinking?"[/color] She asked, her tone soft.

"You know, I get the feeling you're too cool for the holding your hair back while you puke thing, but the offer stands." Another voice interrupted.

Eli turned her head to see Amelia step out from behind a tree. Her brow quirked as she realized that it looked like Amelia appeared from the opposite direction of the bonfire. "How...?" She thought aloud, but she didn't finish the question as Lynn made her own comment.

Eli let out a puff of air, one side of her lips pulling back in an amused grin. She was shaking her head as Lynn mentioned a lizard, and she quickly turned to give Lynn a confused look. How the hell did a lizard bitchslap you? She thought, but didn't ask aloud. It was probably just some drunk Lynn mumbling.

"We're not going anywhere without you, fireball." She said back, looking to Amelia and rolling her eyes. She was giving her best "can you believe this?" face when she felt something warm press against her legs. It was Lynn's leg, and it felt oddly nice to be against a source of heat. Eli smiled at the girl and leant back on her hands. "Amelia and I are staying right here until you feel well enough to go back. Anyways, you're a lot warmer than the bonfire right now." She smirked.

Pssh... shhnnk. Eli frowned, closing her eyes as she listened to the odd noise coming from the dark.

Pssh... shhnnk.

Her brows wrinkled, and she opened her eyes to look between the girls. "You hear that? Sounds like a... like something weird." Her head turned to peer back in the direction of the noise. "Listen." She murmured. Subconsciously, Eli had already tapped into the girls' senses of hearing. The sound was suddenly much clearer and distant sounds of the party were muffled and quiet. She didn't even think that the girls would notice the difference. Hell, she couldn't even tell herself. Maybe the noise had always sounded like this. It was hard to tell the difference sometimes; especially when she was drunk.

Lynn and Amelia may have responded, or even made expressions, but Eli hardly heard as she felt something in her stomach tighten. Whatever this was... she was going to find out. It was all she could focus on at the moment. Her body left the warmth of Lynn's leg as she stood, her gaze still on the woods. She dropped her connection with the girls' hearing, slightly enhancing her own to find the source of the sound. "It's gotta be something." She murmured. "I'm gonna look for the source. You can wait here if you still feel bad, Lynn. I'll only be a second."

Eli began to step towards the dark, glancing back at the girls to see if they were following before she slowly continued into the forest. Her steps were light, but given the state of the forest and the state of her inebriation, Eli was only hoping that she was being stealthy.

Pssh... Shhnnk.

The noise was getting louder. Eli didn't have to use her ability to hear it now. The further she went away from the bonfire, the better she could hear the noise. Her chest also tightened more and more as she left. She didn't know what to expect. Whether it was harmless or not Eli continued towards it. She could see movement in the distance through the trees, and then she heard something that made her freeze in place. A sound that made her heart drop into her stomach.

’Alert: Target within 100 feet’