Skai

Black Fall: The Ghosts of LA (Superhuman romp in a destroyed Los Angeles!)

Elise Wessex

---

---

⫸ B A S I C I N F O R M A T I O N ⫷

"I've devoted my abilities to the protection of all life. One cannot exist without the other and if you think that's wrong, we're going to have a problem."

▼ | BIRTH NAME : |

Elise Wessex

▼ | ALSO KNOWN AS: |

Prefers Eli to close friends, and Wessex by colleagues.

▼ | GENDER : |

Female

▼ | AGE : |

24

⫸ A P P E A R A N C E ⫷

"Wipe that smug look off your face."

▼ | P H Y S I C AL S T A T S : |

▸ HEIGHT : | 5'7"
▸ WEIGHT : | 128 lbs
▸ ETHNICITY : | The Wessex name descends from a long line of Frenchmen that moved to America in the 1910's during the industrial revolution. Her mother's side is comprised of Dutch and German bloodlines.
▸ HAIR COLOR : | Brunette
▸ EYE COLOR : | Warm Brown

▼ | PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION : |

While Elise stands at 5'8", she is often mistaken for a young college student by many. She doesn't put much effort into her hair or makeup, so she is often plain faced and lets her hair air dry into loose waves. Her olive skin is dotted by small beauty marks. If you look close enough, she even sports light freckles on her nose and upper cheeks. Her frame is slender, but she directs the effort of styling her hair and painting her face into toning her body. It might look like she can't lift over 50 lbs, but she packs a lot of power into the muscle that she has. She has yet to get any tattoos or long-lasting scars, but she is sure that in her line of work that the latter are bound to happen. She has pierced her earlobes and has one tragus and daith piercing on the left ear. She keeps her jewelry to minimalistic studs so that it doesn't risk tearing.

▼ | ATTIRE : |

• Work Attire: Eli keeps it business casual and modest unless she is undercover. She prefers the use of black slacks, joggers, or slim pants paired with a white shirt and various lengths of black blazers and coats. When she is undercover, she dresses for the occasion. She likes to combine street rat with street fashion to blend in with the city.
• Off Duty: Eli prefers to keep her style comfortable, classy, and with a bit of retro flair. She stays far away from skinny jeans, but also hates wide leg pants. Usually she wears joggers, chic pants, or loose jeans. As for shoes, she prefers slip on sneakers and flats. Eli is not picky with what she pairs with these items. She can be seen in t-shirts, button ups, blouses, and sweaters if the weather is ever chilly.

⫸ P S Y C H O L O G Y ⫷

"Yes, sir."

▼ | PERSONALITY TRAITS : |

As an agent, Elise is extremely practical and determined to prove her worth at FAMA. She struggles with her loyalty to the agency and also to her people, which can often lead to issues between herself and her mentor. Her goal to succeed at FAMA is based upon her drive to protect as many innocents as possible. She is aware of the grey area between non-violent and dangerous deltahumans, but she also knows that humans and also FAMA have a gray area of morals too. She is still on the path to discovering where exactly her morals lie. Elise is also unafraid to speak her mind and is often reminded of the FAMA's list of rules and regulations. She's a young agent, but that also means that she can bring fresh ideas to the table and rely on her own wit and charm to get the job done.

With the temperament of a volcano, Elise is usually calm and dormant until things start heating up. It isn't wise to get in her way unless you want to deal with the consequences of her eruption. This happens rarely, and Elise is usually a cool individual that cares for everyone around her in a secret way. She doesn't make it obvious and usually shows her affection through acts of service and words of affirmation.

In her normal life outside of FAMA, Elise is an artistic and open person. She is driven by her own wishes and desires, but is willing to compromise if the other has different ideas. Elise has only a few close friends outside of FAMA because she has devoted most of her time to her work. In her free time she paints, goes on runs or walks around the city, and pays close attention to any news sources that still function in LA.

▼ | SKILLS : |

Elise was trained by FAMA and has learned skills such as:

• Basic Self-Defense and Hand-to-Hand Combat, and the use of weapons such as guns, tasers, or sleep darts. She has briefly been trained how to use nullification collars and containment foam, but she hasn't had to use them in the field yet.
• Attention to Detail: Elise must be able to remember important details about a target when presented with their file or discover them on her own in what could be a second worth of contact with the target.
• Surveillance: Eli may be able to do this with her ability, but she must be able to track or follow a target without being discovered. If she is to tap into a person's perception that may be doing illegal activity in a building or designated area, Eli must keep them within her range without detection and without losing her connection to them.
• Adaptation: Elise must be able to adapt to certain situations lest she fail her assignment. Adaptation can also include adapting to a certain "character" when she is undercover. Elise often has to use this skill to dress appropriately so that the target does not catch onto her.
• Self Reliance: While Eli adheres to the orders of her FAMA mentors, she also has to be able to work independently to get results.
• Lock Picking: Eli may use this more than she is instructed to.

Elise has learned these skills without the help of FAMA

• Disabling a nullification collar
• Painting

▼ | BACK STORY : |

Elise's father and mother were born and raised in LA. Her father became a policeman that worked closely with FAMA agents to secure the peace. Her mother was a deltahuman whose powers manifested when she was twenty She was a type blue that could sense and alter the emotions of another. While she used her empathy to understand the emotions of those around her, she never once used abilities for the wrong purposes. Which is why Eli'se father fell in love with her. Not because she made him, but because he trusted her not to.

The two met, married, and settled down with a modest life in the San Fernando Valley. Soon enough, Elise was born. Her childhood was fairly normal. Despite the whispers from her classmates and neighbors that her mother was a type-blue Elise was able to have many friends and succeed in school. The mix of having a cop for a father and a deltahuman for a mother meant that Eli was aware of the dangers but also felt empathy for her mother's kind. She was aware that at some point she may manifest, but the years went on and nothing happened. So, Eli continued to live a carefree life.

Somewhere in the summer between sophomore and junior year of high school, her father began to change. He spent a lot of time at work, and when he came home her mother could instantly tell that something was stressing him. He never gave a reason, and instead just told the two to not worry and that everything was okay. Her mother didn't believe him, but Eli trusted and admired her father too much to go against his wishes. He was her role model. She even planned to follow in his footsteps and become a policewoman after she graduated school. Little did she know that the next two years would send her on a different path. Life happens, people are lost, and things change. That's the way it goes.

Except her entire life changed in one single night. The Wessex home was quiet. Eli was fast asleep after a long day at Santa Monica with her friends. Her father had gotten home in time for dinner. A delicious meal of shrimp and crab slathered in Old Bay. Afterwards the family enjoyed an unconventional game night of poker until it was time for bed. Eli was in the midst of a dream that she finally beat her father in the game, when the sound of gunfire interrupted her victory speech.

Her powers manifested that night under the extreme stress of hiding from the men that broke into her home and murdered her parents. She barely got herself out alive, and she ran until her feet were bloody and she'd eluded them. She didn't even return home until morning, where she was instantly greeted by the police and FAMA agents. To this day it remains unknown who targeted her family, but Eli is convinced that it was not just a simple robbery. It had something to do with her father and what he'd been doing for the last few months. What she did know was that one of the men was a deltahuman.

From that day, Eli was a ward of the state and a known deltahuman. She moved in with a foster family, and while she couldn't sense emotions like her mother she knew that deep down they feared her. Almost everyone did now. So, she focused her attention towards her future career. Instead of a policewoman, Eli now set her sights on becoming a FAMA agent so that no other person would have to suffer at the hands of human or deltahuman again. She was aware that her inheritance from her mother would cause a challenge, but she pushed herself harder and harder to prove herself trustworthy and capable. With no one else to turn to, FAMA was her only goal.

A few years went by, and Elise was finally accepted at FAMA. She now works in the field as an undercover agent. She's secretly been a part of the acquisition of dangerous criminals, but her name is only mentioned once in the files. She simply is assigned a target, finds them, and gathers as much incriminating evidence she can until FAMA has enough information to take them down. On the side she still regularly sees a therapist, and paints to relieve herself of any stress or worries. The earthquakes that shook LA battered the city, and Eli sympathizes for those affected by it. In her opinion, now is the time that she should take on a larger role at FAMA. With the city in chaos and numerous gangs causing it, Eli is determined to step up to the challenge.

▼ | PERSONAL ARC : |

While Elise did become an agent of FAMA, her work within the organization is heavily monitored and restricted. Eli feels like she can do more than what they've allowed her, but they just won't listen. Now that the city has descended into chaos, will Eli accept her place at FAMA, or will she step up to the challenge to protect all people within LA? Can she really prove herself? _{A question that she has wanted answered since the day she manifested is: who was responsible for the attack on her family?}

⫸ P O W E R I N F O R M A T I O N ⫷

"I know I'm young compared to the other agents, but I have a lot of potential. If you'd just give me a little more room to work, I could help you take down any gang in LA on that list."

▼ | POWER CLASSIFICATION : |

Type-Blue

▼ | POWER DESCRIPTION : |

Elise's ability has been deemed perception manipulation by the government officials tasked with categorizing deltahuman abilities, but under the surface Eli's ability uses two separate functions of the mind to form one coherent ability:

• Sensation Manipulation: With every second, our brains are receiving stimuli for sensations such as sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Those sensations are then sent to the brain, where the mind processes these sensations and determines how they will be perceived. Every sensation must pass a threshold limit in order for the mind to notice it. Eli's ability allows her to access these sensations and manipulate the threshold limit for those stimuli by either raising or lowering it. For Example: She could lower the threshold of someone with a paper cut to feel stronger pain, or increase the threshold of someone's photo-receptors to blind them.
  
  • While this method is effective, there are limits to the amount a threshold can be manipulated. This is where Eli's ability affects the perception of this stimuli as well.
• Perception Manipulation: In theory, the mind tends to group the senses together so that it is easier to process. This allows the mind to interpret similarity, proximity, and continuity, of the size, shape, brightness, and distance of an object. This can affect balance, depth perception, and the awareness of the subject's surroundings. In terms of pain and the sensation of touch, the brain receives the stimuli from the nerves in varying amounts. The effect of these sensations can be altered by the mind's perception of them. For example, if heat was applied to a subject's arm the mind could translate that heat as pain if it thinks the arm is burning, or the mind can perceive it as a warm welcome on a winter day. Likewise, touch can be perceived as pain or pleasure as well. It all depends on the mind's interpretation of these stimuli. By manipulating the perception of another's senses, Eli is able to create auditory and optical illusions as well as illusions of pain.

Potential Uses Include:

• Auditory, sensory, and optical illusions
• Affect the mind's perception of balance, which could induce dizziness or nausea
• Pain Reduction/Enhancement
• Tapping into the vision or physical feelings of another

▼ | LIMITS : |

While Eli's ability has many different uses, Eli is only able to create one to two illusions at a time without putting a large amount of strain on her physical and mental state. She is also unable to affect a subject unless they are within a 40 meter range. In terms of how many subject's she can affect at once without duress, Eli's lower limit is set at two subjects and her upper limit is at most five subjects. To stretch into the upper limits of her powers will send Eli into a heavy state of exhaustion like any other deltahuman. To simplify, Eli is able to produce a much stronger, longer lasting illusion over fewer subjects than she can with a larger group.

▼ | WEAKNESSES : |

• Like any illusion, there is no actual physical damage inflicted upon a subject. Convincing a subject's mind that the illusions are real depends on the will and strength of a person's mind as well. Subtle errors in illusions may give them away if Elise is under stress or multitasking.
• If Elise is using her ability to tap into the perception of an individual, she is unable to see through her own eyes as well. This means that she is open to any potential attack, and must remain in place or she'll get herself hurt.
• If Elise is tapping into the sensation of an individual, she will also feel whatever they do. This means that if someone is hit or shot by a bullet, Eli will feel as if it has happened to her as well. Any pain she may experience will linger for a few minutes until her energy has dispersed from the individual's mind. The stronger the pain, the longer it will last.
• While this has only happened once so far, Eli will begin to have troubles discerning reality from fantasy if she has used her ability too much. She may convince her own mind that certain illusions or sensations are present if she has reached her limits too often.

⫸ O T H E R ⫷

"Don't call me Bond."

Eli has a small wall of paintings in an art gallery nearby.

Black Fall: The Ghosts of LA (Superhuman romp in a destroyed Los Angeles!)

@JunkMail

Black Fall: The Ghosts of LA (Superhuman romp in a destroyed Los Angeles!)

{\__/}
( • . •)
/ >(This Character)

Elise Wessex

---

---

⫸ B A S I C I N F O R M A T I O N ⫷

"I've devoted my abilities to the protection of all life. One cannot exist without the other and if you think that's wrong, we're going to have a problem."

▼ | BIRTH NAME : |

Elise Wessex

▼ | ALSO KNOWN AS: |

Prefers Eli to close friends, and Wessex by colleagues.

▼ | GENDER : |

Female

▼ | AGE : |

24

⫸ A P P E A R A N C E ⫷

"Wipe that smug look off your face."

▼ | P H Y S I C AL S T A T S : |

▸ HEIGHT : | 5'7"
▸ WEIGHT : | 128 lbs
▸ ETHNICITY : | The Wessex name descends from a long line of Frenchmen that moved to America in the 1910's during the industrial revolution. Her mother's side is comprised of Dutch and German bloodlines.
▸ HAIR COLOR : | Brunette
▸ EYE COLOR : | Warm Brown

▼ | PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION : |

While Elise stands at 5'8", she is often mistaken for a young college student by many. She doesn't put much effort into her hair or makeup, so she is often plain faced and lets her hair air dry into loose waves. Her olive skin is dotted by small beauty marks. If you look close enough, she even sports light freckles on her nose and upper cheeks. Her frame is slender, but she directs the effort of styling her hair and painting her face into toning her body. It might look like she can't lift over 50 lbs, but she packs a lot of power into the muscle that she has. She has yet to get any tattoos or long-lasting scars, but she is sure that in her line of work that the latter are bound to happen. She has pierced her earlobes and has one tragus and daith piercing on the left ear. She keeps her jewelry to minimalistic studs so that it doesn't risk tearing.

▼ | ATTIRE : |

• Work Attire: Eli keeps it business casual and modest unless she is undercover. She prefers the use of black slacks, joggers, or slim pants paired with a white shirt and various lengths of black blazers and coats. When she is undercover, she dresses for the occasion. She likes to combine street rat with street fashion to blend in with the city.
• Off Duty: Eli prefers to keep her style comfortable, classy, and with a bit of retro flair. She stays far away from skinny jeans, but also hates wide leg pants. Usually she wears joggers, chic pants, or loose jeans. As for shoes, she prefers slip on sneakers and flats. Eli is not picky with what she pairs with these items. She can be seen in t-shirts, button ups, blouses, and sweaters if the weather is ever chilly.

⫸ P S Y C H O L O G Y ⫷

"Yes, sir."

▼ | PERSONALITY TRAITS : |

As an agent, Elise is extremely practical and determined to prove her worth at FAMA. She struggles with her loyalty to the agency and also to her people, which can often lead to issues between herself and her mentor. Her goal to succeed at FAMA is based upon her drive to protect as many innocents as possible. She is aware of the grey area between non-violent and dangerous deltahumans, but she also knows that humans and also FAMA have a gray area of morals too. She is still on the path to discovering where exactly her morals lie. Elise is also unafraid to speak her mind and is often reminded of the FAMA's list of rules and regulations. She's a young agent, but that also means that she can bring fresh ideas to the table and rely on her own wit and charm to get the job done.

With the temperament of a volcano, Elise is usually calm and dormant until things start heating up. It isn't wise to get in her way unless you want to deal with the consequences of her eruption. This happens rarely, and Elise is usually a cool individual that cares for everyone around her in a secret way. She doesn't make it obvious and usually shows her affection through acts of service and words of affirmation.

In her normal life outside of FAMA, Elise is an artistic and open person. She is driven by her own wishes and desires, but is willing to compromise if the other has different ideas. Elise has only a few close friends outside of FAMA because she has devoted most of her time to her work. In her free time she paints, goes on runs or walks around the city, and pays close attention to any news sources that still function in LA.

▼ | SKILLS : |

Elise was trained by FAMA and has learned skills such as:

• Basic Self-Defense and Hand-to-Hand Combat, and the use of weapons such as guns, tasers, or sleep darts. She has briefly been trained how to use nullification collars and containment foam, but she hasn't had to use them in the field yet.
• Attention to Detail: Elise must be able to remember important details about a target when presented with their file or discover them on her own in what could be a second worth of contact with the target.
• Surveillance: Eli may be able to do this with her ability, but she must be able to track or follow a target without being discovered. If she is to tap into a person's perception that may be doing illegal activity in a building or designated area, Eli must keep them within her range without detection and without losing her connection to them.
• Adaptation: Elise must be able to adapt to certain situations lest she fail her assignment. Adaptation can also include adapting to a certain "character" when she is undercover. Elise often has to use this skill to dress appropriately so that the target does not catch onto her.
• Self Reliance: While Eli adheres to the orders of her FAMA mentors, she also has to be able to work independently to get results.
• Lock Picking: Eli may use this more than she is instructed to.

Elise has learned these skills without the help of FAMA

• Disabling a nullification collar
• Painting

▼ | BACK STORY : |

Elise's father and mother were born and raised in LA. Her father became a policeman that worked closely with FAMA agents to secure the peace. Her mother was a deltahuman whose powers manifested when she was twenty She was a type blue that could sense and alter the emotions of another. While she used her empathy to understand the emotions of those around her, she never once used abilities for the wrong purposes. Which is why Eli'se father fell in love with her. Not because she made him, but because he trusted her not to.

The two met, married, and settled down with a modest life in the San Fernando Valley. Soon enough, Elise was born. Her childhood was fairly normal. Despite the whispers from her classmates and neighbors that her mother was a type-blue Elise was able to have many friends and succeed in school. The mix of having a cop for a father and a deltahuman for a mother meant that Eli was aware of the dangers but also felt empathy for her mother's kind. She was aware that at some point she may manifest, but the years went on and nothing happened. So, Eli continued to live a carefree life.

Somewhere in the summer between sophomore and junior year of high school, her father began to change. He spent a lot of time at work, and when he came home her mother could instantly tell that something was stressing him. He never gave a reason, and instead just told the two to not worry and that everything was okay. Her mother didn't believe him, but Eli trusted and admired her father too much to go against his wishes. He was her role model. She even planned to follow in his footsteps and become a policewoman after she graduated school. Little did she know that the next two years would send her on a different path. Life happens, people are lost, and things change. That's the way it goes.

Except her entire life changed in one single night. The Wessex home was quiet. Eli was fast asleep after a long day at Santa Monica with her friends. Her father had gotten home in time for dinner. A delicious meal of shrimp and crab slathered in Old Bay. Afterwards the family enjoyed an unconventional game night of poker until it was time for bed. Eli was in the midst of a dream that she finally beat her father in the game, when the sound of gunfire interrupted her victory speech.

Her powers manifested that night under the extreme stress of hiding from the men that broke into her home and murdered her parents. She barely got herself out alive, and she ran until her feet were bloody and she'd eluded them. She didn't even return home until morning, where she was instantly greeted by the police and FAMA agents. To this day it remains unknown who targeted her family, but Eli is convinced that it was not just a simple robbery. It had something to do with her father and what he'd been doing for the last few months. What she did know was that one of the men was a deltahuman.

From that day, Eli was a ward of the state and a known deltahuman. She moved in with a foster family, and while she couldn't sense emotions like her mother she knew that deep down they feared her. Almost everyone did now. So, she focused her attention towards her future career. Instead of a policewoman, Eli now set her sights on becoming a FAMA agent so that no other person would have to suffer at the hands of human or deltahuman again. She was aware that her inheritance from her mother would cause a challenge, but she pushed herself harder and harder to prove herself trustworthy and capable. With no one else to turn to, FAMA was her only goal.

A few years went by, and Elise was finally accepted at FAMA. She now works in the field as an undercover agent. She's secretly been a part of the acquisition of dangerous criminals, but her name is only mentioned once in the files. She simply is assigned a target, finds them, and gathers as much incriminating evidence she can until FAMA has enough information to take them down. On the side she still regularly sees a therapist, and paints to relieve herself of any stress or worries. The earthquakes that shook LA battered the city, and Eli sympathizes for those affected by it. In her opinion, now is the time that she should take on a larger role at FAMA. With the city in chaos and numerous gangs causing it, Eli is determined to step up to the challenge.

▼ | PERSONAL ARC : |

While Elise did become an agent of FAMA, her work within the organization is heavily monitored and restricted. Eli feels like she can do more than what they've allowed her, but they just won't listen. Now that the city has descended into chaos, will Eli accept her place at FAMA, or will she step up to the challenge to protect all people within LA? Can she really prove herself? _{A question that she has wanted answered since the day she manifested is: who was responsible for the attack on her family?}

⫸ P O W E R I N F O R M A T I O N ⫷

"I know I'm young compared to the other agents, but I have a lot of potential. If you'd just give me a little more room to work, I could help you take down any gang in LA on that list."

▼ | POWER CLASSIFICATION : |

Type-Blue

▼ | POWER DESCRIPTION : |

Elise's ability has been deemed perception manipulation by the government officials tasked with categorizing deltahuman abilities, but under the surface Eli's ability uses two separate functions of the mind to form one coherent ability:

• Sensation Manipulation: With every second, our brains are receiving stimuli for sensations such as sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Those sensations are then sent to the brain, where the mind processes these sensations and determines how they will be perceived. Every sensation must pass a threshold limit in order for the mind to notice it. Eli's ability allows her to access these sensations and manipulate the threshold limit for those stimuli by either raising or lowering it. For Example: She could lower the threshold of someone with a paper cut to feel stronger pain, or increase the threshold of someone's photo-receptors to blind them.
  
  • While this method is effective, there are limits to the amount a threshold can be manipulated. This is where Eli's ability affects the perception of this stimuli as well.
• Perception Manipulation: In theory, the mind tends to group the senses together so that it is easier to process. This allows the mind to interpret similarity, proximity, and continuity, of the size, shape, brightness, and distance of an object. This can affect balance, depth perception, and the awareness of the subject's surroundings. In terms of pain and the sensation of touch, the brain receives the stimuli from the nerves in varying amounts. The effect of these sensations can be altered by the mind's perception of them. For example, if heat was applied to a subject's arm the mind could translate that heat as pain if it thinks the arm is burning, or the mind can perceive it as a warm welcome on a winter day. Likewise, touch can be perceived as pain or pleasure as well. It all depends on the mind's interpretation of these stimuli. By manipulating the perception of another's senses, Eli is able to create auditory and optical illusions as well as illusions of pain.

Potential Uses Include:

• Auditory, sensory, and optical illusions
• Affect the mind's perception of balance, which could induce dizziness or nausea
• Pain Reduction/Enhancement
• Tapping into the vision or physical feelings of another

▼ | LIMITS : |

While Eli's ability has many different uses, Eli is only able to create one to two illusions at a time without putting a large amount of strain on her physical and mental state. She is also unable to affect a subject unless they are within a 40 meter range. In terms of how many subject's she can affect at once without duress, Eli's lower limit is set at two subjects and her upper limit is at most five subjects. To stretch into the upper limits of her powers will send Eli into a heavy state of exhaustion like any other deltahuman. To simplify, Eli is able to produce a much stronger, longer lasting illusion over fewer subjects than she can with a larger group.

▼ | WEAKNESSES : |

• Like any illusion, there is no actual physical damage inflicted upon a subject. Convincing a subject's mind that the illusions are real depends on the will and strength of a person's mind as well. Subtle errors in illusions may give them away if Elise is under stress or multitasking.
• If Elise is using her ability to tap into the perception of an individual, she is unable to see through her own eyes as well. This means that she is open to any potential attack, and must remain in place or she'll get herself hurt.
• If Elise is tapping into the sensation of an individual, she will also feel whatever they do. This means that if someone is hit or shot by a bullet, Eli will feel as if it has happened to her as well. Any pain she may experience will linger for a few minutes until her energy has dispersed from the individual's mind. The stronger the pain, the longer it will last.
• While this has only happened once so far, Eli will begin to have troubles discerning reality from fantasy if she has used her ability too much. She may convince her own mind that certain illusions or sensations are present if she has reached her limits too often.

⫸ O T H E R ⫷

"Don't call me Bond."

Eli has a small wall of paintings in an art gallery nearby.

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

& Natalie Ellis

---

Packet… Packet. Packet had probably avoided any part of the welcoming day events. He didn’t seem like the social type. Lynn wasn’t like that either, but she was there. Eli frowned. Should I text him, to see if he’s okay? She glanced at her phone where it laid in the grass. No… No. Only text him if you’re going through with the plan. IF you want to risk your life to figure this out. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. Was it even worth it, now? Things were going great with her mother. While before it felt like she couldn’t tell her anything, now it felt like she could say whatever was on her mind. What if she was caught sneaking into the Spire? She probably wouldn’t see her mother any more. She’d never return to Earth; that was the only hypothesis she was sure would come true. Maybe they wouldn’t kill her. Maybe they’d keep her alive, but would they send her to the prisons for discovering their little secrets? She could still get the word out from prison somehow, if there was anything to let the public know. Would they keep her on the Spire? If they were really using what Eli assumed they used to test the nullifying tech or any other anti-para instruments, would she suffer the same fate as those she dared to rescue? Rescue as in, hope the public will rage in response to their torture and demand for their prompt release.

Eli scoffed and shook her head. ”I’m going mad. Absolutely nuts. Of course you aren’t going to do it.” She grabbed her phone, shoved it in her pocket, and promptly pushed herself to her feet. ”What do I expect to happen if I do this? A worldwide protest? Viva la revolucion and all that bullshit until we’re treated a little more humanely?” She shook her head again and brushed her hair back. As much as she said it out loud, Eli still had this feeling deep down in her gut that she should just do it.

”I’m going to get myself killed,” she murmured. With a sigh, she turned and began to walk again. She wasn’t sure which direction, but she just wanted to walk. Maybe the chip in her phone would pick up Arianna’s signature, and her mind would be pulled elsewhere. Keaton might text back with the meeting’s location and Eli would have to worry more about seeing Archie again than her death wish to see the Spire. Maddy… Maybe Maddy would message her back and they’d spend the evening drinking in the woods? That would be nice. To just drink until she forgot everything. She almost missed the way things were before the prison break. Back when her life was so much less complicated. What would have happened if she hadn’t smiled at Archie that day? How would her life have gone if she’d just gotten her dinner and walked away?

It was hard to think this way. She’d gotten so close to everyone because she’d stayed to talk to Archie. Hell, she even considered Archie a good friend before… well, before he almost killed her. Was this the point where Eli decided to detach herself from him? It was tempting to make this easy and just go with it. To go home instead of join the others and attempt to live somewhat of a normal life again. The thought made her feel guilty because she knew that Archie wasn’t anything like the monster he turned into. It was the fear of being feet away from a gaping maw of teeth that made her wonder if he was just a wolf in sheep’s clothing from the start.

Give him a chance to explain himself, Eli… She countered to herself, and she nodded. Her steps slowed to a more comfortable pace. It was a fight or flight moment, and he is just a rare case. Even if it makes you uncomfortable to be near him, you have to let the guy defend himself. He’s saved your life before, for christ’s sake. Her mind felt a little at ease now as she came to this conclusion. Now you can just enjoy the fresh air until Keaton texts you back.

She then saw a familiar face emerge from a path off to the left. It was Natalie, but she looked different, and it wasn’t just the clothes though they were different too. She was wearing black boots, skinny jeans, a maroon sweater and over that, a very trendy looking leather jacket. Her hair was shorter than Eli had last seen her too. But the real difference was her demeanour. There was always something meek about Natalie before. Even when she was smiling, she seemed sad. Now, she looked like she was genuinely in a good mood. Given what had happened, that seemed a bit odd. Surely it should be the other way around.

Natalie saw Eli, smiled, and waved before making her way towards Eli.

Despite how weird it seemed that Natalie was cheerful after she’d fought her boyfriend (were they boyfriend and girlfriend yet? It seemed like they weren’t), Natalie’s smile was contagious. Eli had never seen her look so happy, and it made her feel like there was some part of the world that could still thrive after all that had happened. She found herself smiling back at Natalie as she approached. ”Hey, Natalie. I like the new look.” Not wanting to end her greeting on a note about the change in Nat’s appearance, Eli continued. ”How’ve you been? Are you headed to meet everyone too?”

”It’s been...not too great actually,” Nat replied, smile fading a little, ”but I think I’ve snapped and stopped caring about how people see me. Have you seen the footage? People, even other paras, are scared of me now, but it’s like...it’s like it’s finally out in the open and I finally have a clear head. I’ve really been looking forward to the rest of you getting out of hospital. You’re the only friends I have here. I’m excited to meet up!”

Eli frowned lightly and began to speak in a soft tone. ”They shouldn’t be scared of you. They should be scared that that group was able to board a shuttle and make it to The Promise without any warning or alarm.” She shook her head and was louder this time, her eyes looking firmly into Natalie’s. ”I’m glad you don’t care what they think, Nat. If anyone ever treats you like that in front of me, I’m going to march right up to them and give them a piece of my mind.”

She started walking again. Not in any particular direction, but just to walk so that she could release her anger through the physical action of it. ”People are just scared because they wouldn’t have been able to do any of that if they’d been in the same situation. I mean, the real monsters are those- those murderers. How can they forget that?” Her head turned to look at Natalie and she hoped that she didn’t sound like she was standing on a soap box. Or, maybe she should be. Maybe it was time someone started defending the outcasts. ”You had every right to do what you did that day. Anyone that disagrees with that is not our ally.”

Her head turned to look around at the other students nearby. She almost dared them to say something, just so she could show them what’s up. If there was anything Eli was known for, it was her fierce protection of her friends. She’d even stand up for a stranger if they needed it. When no challenge presented itself, Eli simply released the tension in a sigh.

Natalie beamed at this response. “Thanks! I really mean it. It’s so good having somebody on my side right now. But I can understand it. The monsters are gone. I’m still here. I mean, since I got here even I was afraid of me. All that’s changed is I let that fear go. I’ve given up trying for ‘a normal life’, whatever that meant. Things aren’t going to fix themselves around me. I’ve just got to find my own happiness and take it.”

Eli smiled softly, taking a few moments to mull over Natalie’s words. ”I’m happy for you Natalie.” She said finally, turning to show the girl her smile. It made Eli feel good that Natalie considered her a friend now. Especially after their first encounter with each other. She turned her head forward and suddenly thought of Natalie’s words to Archie in the loading bay. The image of Archie’s giant foot pressing down on Nat’s body came to mind as well, and Eli resisted the urge to shiver. Her eyes lowered to watch the ground in front of her, and she distracted her mind by purposefully missing every crack in the pavement.

”So… You knew about Archie’s… condition.” An odd way to put it, but she would have felt rude for calling it anything but that. From what I’ve learnt being on this station, it’s extremely rare to have an ability like that.” She wasn’t sure why she mentioned that, but it felt right to express her point of view. ”Can I ask you how you found out about it? About him?” She glanced at her before looking away again. ”Did it happen like that, too?”

Natalie’s smile got smaller, but didn’t vanish entirely. ”Yes. We came in on the same transport. He turned on the first day. You must have heard something about an incident at the Cafeteria. That was it. But….during the breakout, I was so scared I snapped, and wanted to kill every prisoner I could get my hands on. I actually did kill two of them. But I wanted to hunt them all down, out of fear and hatred. And Archie, Lizard Archie, stopped me and calmed me down. We’ve made a promise to always try to stop the other from going too far. Because we’re the same. It’s just that I still look like a human when I turn into a monster.”

Eli nodded slowly. She was starting to put all of the pieces together. Natalie was pretty similar to Archie, in the way that their ability could control their instincts without even letting them realize it. Did that make her feel better about Archie, though? ”I think it’s great that you’ve both been there for each other. I… I know it might look like you’re both… monsters, but I don’t think of you- either of you, that way.” She looked up at the sky and watched the station ever so slowly move along its orbit. ”I hate to admit this, but… I’m a little nervous about seeing Archie again. I just… I can’t get the image out of my mind.” She closed her eyes for a moment and felt guilty that she’d even said it out loud. When she opened them, she looked over at her companion. ”Am I awful for feeling this way?”

”I know you’re not an awful person,” Natalie replied, furrowing her brow. ”Maybe seeing him in a normal setting and talking about it might make you feel better. I think still having a sense of fear just means you’re not desensitized yet, and Honestly? I think you should hold onto that.”

Eli chuckled softly. ”I don’t think I’ll ever stop feeling fear.” With a soft smile, Eli nudged her. ”Anyways, how are you and Archie doing? Everything going well?”

Nat’s smile disappeared and she slowed. She looked away, and rubbed the back of her neck. ”I don’t...really know. It’s complicated. After the Arianna incident I really withdrew into myself, and the next time I saw him, he was kinda mad I’d shut him out. And then….you know, this happened. In fact, that time was the last time I actually talked to him. I’m excited for this meeting but also nervous, because….I don’t want to find out if I screwed this relationship up before it started. I really like him...”

Eli frowned lightly and matched her pace. She thought over what Natalie said and shrugged. ”I don’t think you did anything wrong by taking some time to yourself. Isolation is not often a great option, but sometimes it’s needed.”

”I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Archie when he asked me for advice about you,” she started with a smile. ”If you care about him the way I think you do, you have to make sure he knows. Ask him to go on a date with you tonight. I think you two need an evening to just relax together.”

”It’s… been a while since I last dated someone. We broke up because neither of us had much time to see each other. Looking back I wish that I had fought a little harder to keep him.” She smiled ruefully before continuing. ”So my advice to you is to just keep trying. Archie would take your lead any day.”

”You think so? To be honest, I want to go somewhere private with him and tell him about my past. I finally feel brave enough to. Not much of a fun date but I think he’ll appreciate the show of trust and confiding in him. Maybe I could do that at the end of a proper date.”

Eli looked over Natalie’s expression, feeling a surge of empathy for her. She wasn’t sure exactly what Natalie’s past was like, but it must have been rough if she had to feel brave to tell her story. ”That sounds like a good idea, Nat,” she spoke softly before smiling. ”I know we don’t know each other super well, but if you ever need to talk you can come to me.”

Naalie smiled brightly, and nodded. ”I’ll be sure to take you up on that if I ever need anyone to talk to. I-” she started to say, before a boy with antennas approached them, and addressed Eli. Natalie recognised him from that day in the forest. He didn’t seem to have recognised her, from the forest or the footage. Was her change in image really that drastic? Either way, he hadn’t addressed her, so she didn’t say anything to him yet.

Looking from Natalie and now to Nicholas, Eli couldn’t help but feel a little startled. Still, she offered him a smile. ”Hey, Nicholas. I’ve been… okay, for the most part of it.” She glanced over at Natalie. ”Natalie you remember Nicholas, don’t you? He was at the bonfire.”

She turned back to Nicholas and suddenly remembered seeing him in the woods. Had he been at the welcoming day as well? ”How have you been? Were you in the loading bay too?”

The Darkest Minds Never Fade in the Afterlight

How's everyone's quarantine?

The Uncanny X-Babies - Concluded

---

---

Elara

Location: Mojo... world?
Skills: Vertigo Inducement

While Longshot was now unconscious and tied up thanks to Elara's team members, he said nothing about the illusion of Spiral when he regained himself. Elara frowned, but decided to keep it up just in case he noticed her. How did they know that he was the one that Spiral was talking of? What if they were bringing back the wrong person? Spiral definitely wasn't going to be happy.

There was also the problem of Longshot's communicator-watch-thing. Who had he called for? How long would it be until they arrived, and how dangerous would they be compared to Longshot? Elara winced, the shuriken still lodged in her shoulder stinging with every step she took towards the team. She had to get this thing out. Bracing herself, Elara attempted to make her own mind believe that the pain that would ensue when she removed it would not be as strong. She clenched her teeth, gingerly took hold of the blade, and pulled it from her flesh.

The illusion hadn't worked. The pain was strong. Enough to make Elara hiss through her teeth. She had half a mind to throw it right back at Longshot, but instead let it drop to the ground. Her hand then returned to press into the cut. It would stop bleeding soon so it wasn't much concern, but it still stung like a bitch.

Her mind returned to the present problem when the wound stopped throbbing, and she came in just in time to hear Evelyn discover an exit. "Oh, thank god." She muttered before glancing around. "I don't want to know what kind of person this guy hangs around." Andrew took hold of the BEEPhole and began to drag him towards where Evelyn pointed out. Elara didn't waste much time. She immediately followed him and stood back as Andrew took the lead through the hidden door and then Watts too. Taking a deep breath to summon her courage, Elara slowly stepped through the arch.

Her feet felt solid ground beneath her instead of grass. The smell of a city hit her nostrils, but the sight of it was much different than any city she'd seen before. It felt like New York City, but it looked much more technologically advanced. Enough to convince her that they were on an alien planet. Were they out of the show? Was this the world they were taken to before they'd been turned into children? She looked down at herself, and frowned when she realized she was still a young girl. When she looked back up, she realized that she was still creating the illusion of Spiral. At least if Lancelot reacted, they'd know if they'd really gotten the job done.

"Do you recognize that woman, asshat?" She asked, happy to hear herself curse again as she pointed towards the illusion of Spiral. At least cursing proved that they were out of the reality TV dimension. Now she just needed Longshot to explain himself, or regain his memory of his past life before Spiral actually returned.

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

---

"Lynn Holmes... Lynn Holmes. Oh, that girl. It says here that she was scheduled for release today or tomorrow, but I guess she decided to leave on her own. She's been gone for a few hours now. No official checkout or anything." The nurse scoffed and turned her head back towards the young girl standing in front of her desk. "That girl took one of our nurses key cards. If you see her, tell her that we need it back. She can keep the scrubs."

"Oh, uh... Yeah, I'll do that." Eli paused for a moment, lost in thought, before trying another name. "What about Amelia... No, I don't know her last name. Uhm, has Keaton Plasse been released?"

A few more clicks of a keyboard. "Mhm. Left with a clean bill of health and a proper checkout."

A nod. "Thanks."

Eli turned away from the desk and stared at the foyer of the hospital. It was unexpected that Lynn would have left the hospital. Let alone with a stolen key card and a pair of scrubs. What was she up to that required sneaking out of a building? Especially after a traumatic injury?

The image of Lynn slumped against a wall, blood oozing out of a gaping hole where her eye once was, invaded her mind. She blinked, and Lynn was replaced with Radvi. At least Lynn wasn't in a coma. At least Lynn survived. At least-

Eli pushed her way through the doors and gratefully accepted the fresh, cool air outside. She breathed in for a few moments until she felt calm again. At least Keaton was alright. Amelia... She was probably out too. Their injuries hadn't been half as bad as Lynn's. Her own injury wouldn't have been that bad if the bullet hadn't hit bone. She'd been in the hospital longer to let the bone finish healing on her own. Plus... She was almost considered a mental health risk for a bit there.

With a sigh, Eli continued on her way. Lynn... Lynn you nut. When I find you, I'm sending you right back here to make sure everything is okay. She pressed her lips together and drew her phone from her pocket. She had a few texts to send.

Where are you? Are you okay? I heard you stole a nurses key card.

To Lynn

Hey, how have you been? I was just released this morning. Are you meeting Archie?

To Keaton

Are you okay? Were you at the welcoming day? Please text me back.

To Maddy

Eli bit her lip and stared at the screen as she walked through the street. Even if Lynn had her phone, would she even text back? Apparently Lynn was awful at using the thing. Maybe Keaton knew where she was? Keaton and Lynn were close. She just needed Keaton to text back.

"Hey, watch it!"

Eli flinched. Her feet came to a halt just in time to avoid knocking into a security officer. She stared at him, probably resembling a deer caught in headlights.

"You kids need to watch where your walking instead of that screen of yours. You could have walked right into a wall the way you were looking at it." The officer shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. He squinted as he looked at her. "Hey, aren't you-" He stopped mid-sentence, but gave her a cautious look over before he waved his hand and continued on his way. "Get on home. And watch where you're going."

Eli watched him walk away, a little unnerved. Wasn't she? Wasn't she what? She frowned. Maybe he was talking about the footage. Maybe he'd seen it. Maybe he'd been there to pick up whoever survived. Eli didn't remember his face. She was practically unconscious by the time the rescue efforts rushed in. She looked around at the few students and staff that littered the walkways. Had they all seen the footage? Did they all recognize her? As much as she wanted to accept that she'd saved lives, what would the people on Earth think? What were the staff thinking?

She had to get somewhere where she could be alone. Unseen. She wanted to watch the footage. Even if it hurt to see. If anything, she had to know what was filmed and what everyone had seen her and her friends do. So, she headed in the direction of a park. She settled herself at the base of a tree, holding the phone a little too tightly.

"Cara, I want to see the footage of Welcoming Day."

"Are you sure?"

A deep breath. A nod. "Yes."

"Alright. I'll start at the beginning."

---

By the end of it, Eli was hugging her knees to her chest. She wiped her sleeve against the fresh tears that wet her eyes and chin. Her heart grieved for her people, but she also felt a deep pitted hatred for the silent court. Anger for anyone that would attack parahumans just for being different. It's not like anyone asked for this. It's not like all of them abused their gifts.

"Cara, how many parahumans die from hate acts each year?"

"At least one thousand parahumans die each year from specific acts of violence. Many go unreported."

Eli shook her head. The number was too high. "How many groups like the silent court are there?"

"Fifty public anti-parahuman groups have claimed attacks in the U.S. alone. The silent court was not one of them."

Silence. Fifty reported groups. How many more hid underground? How many anonymous faces wear masks just like the court's? It was a grim feeling. "Do you think the court had any help from inside The Promise? How could they have gotten onto the shuttle without sounding an alarm?"

"I'm unsure, Eli. It is possible."

Eli frowned, and looked up towards the sky as if she would find answers there. In the distance she could see the glass and metal barrier that protected them from outer space. Past it was a void blacker than black, but dotted with little lights that stretched for eons. The edge of the Spire was always in view, but she'd never seen it's entirety. Only in pictures.

"Cara, how much is done on the Spire that they don't tell us?"

Her phone was silent for a few moments. It almost felt like Cara was hesitating. "A lot, Eli. I can't tell you any more than that."

"Would you, if you could?"

"Yes." Her voice almost sounded regretful.

---

Weeks ago…

Of all places, this was where she was supposed to meet him? Eli stared down into the black abyss through the porthole. She wasn’t sure why it was necessary to go down below, but she suspected that it was the only place on the station without cameras. So, after taking one last gulp of fresh air, Eli descended into the darkness. She felt her feet land on dry cement and felt relieved. No sewer water to wade through. She’d worn her dirtiest shoes just in case.

Cautiously, Eli turned in the direction as instructed and carefully kept her head low in case there was a sudden change in ceiling height. When she approached the meeting spot, she stood straight. She was all business, and she didn’t want to show how nervous being here made her. The risk of danger was at least at 50% for even being down here. If anyone knew what she was about to get up to, she’d definitely be screwed. Plenty of people go missing onboard The Promise. Most of them broke the rules. Let’s not become a part of that percentage.

“Jax?” She asked, peering into the dim light of the sewer.

_{“Not so loud!”} a young man- well, more of a boy than a man, hissed. He was exactly what someone would imagine as a technopath boy would be. At only sixteen, he had yet to fully grow into himself, sporting a lanky frame and a goofy grin. A sprinkling of freckles ran over the bridge of his nose, and he sported a pair of glasses. Although the left eye seemed to be less lense and more of an amalgamation of wires and other machinery. A design that was still being worked on, no doubt.

“And stop using my name! I told you to call me Packet!”

It was a term that was used to describe information when it was being transferred. Jax thought it was cool, because of course he did.

Elara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He wasn’t that young, but it still bothered her that the guy hadn’t even sprouted one hair on his upper lip yet. The guy was insanely smart, from what she’d picked up from him when they’d first met. She wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he’d already gotten his degree in engineering or something.

She forced a smile. ”Hey, Packet. I’m glad you came.” As odd as it felt to use a codename, Eli wanted to go along with it. Maybe it would be good to keep their identities hidden.

“Yeah, no problem…” he trailed off, his eyes moving up from Eli to the currently deactivated cameras. “What do you need from me? We can’t stay too long, or they’ll notice I have the footage on loop from before we got here.”

Eli watched him carefully as he inspected the dead cameras above, and wondered if he’d run as soon as she answered his question. She had to approach the topic carefully. ”What can you tell me about the pathways that lead to The Spire? How do you get onto it from this section of the station?” Maybe once she got him thinking about it, it wouldn’t sound like a completely insane idea to break into it.

“I… don’t know. At least not exactly. I’ve never gone ON The Spire.” Packet explained, turning and pacing in a direction that led further into the depths of the sewers. “But I know of what is probably… maybe a route. And by route I mean door. And by door, I mean a locked door that no one in my group has opened.”

They walked for several minutes until he came to a stop by what appeared to be a heavily machined entryway that was built into the side of the wall. He motioned to it dramatically. “Welcome to Jurassic Park.”

A beat passed.

“That sounded a lot better in my head.”

Eli raised an eyebrow, but she couldn’t help but chuckle. She took a moment to look over the door before turning back to him. ”What would it take to open it? Have you all tried opening it together, at the same time?” She reminded herself to slow down, and decided to go ahead and let him in on her faulty plan. ”I’ve been thinking…” She paused, trying to gather her thoughts in a way that wouldn’t confuse him. ”None of us never really know what’s going on in there. What’s really going on.” She looked him right in the eyes. ”What if one of us went in, and told the world?” It was blasphemy, she knew. She couldn’t help but think about Trevor and the nullifying taser that was lost to the woods. What else were they developing? How were they testing the tech? The answer was probably sickening to think of, but Eli wanted to know. She needed to know. This is the part where you turn away, Packet, and tell me to delete your number. Save yourself, kid.

“I said I’ve never been ON The Spire. Not that I couldn’t open the door.” Packet said, walking over to the gate and placing a hand on the metal frame. He hummed, but didn’t say anything more. “I can open this myself. I just…” he trailed off. “Listen, I don’t know what goes on, on The Spire. I’m not exactly the daredevil type. I’m more the ‘do my homework or get stuffed in a locker’ brand.” he explained, motioning to himself. “I don’t know what would happen if you went in. I don’t know what you’ll see or find. I definitely don’t want to know why you’re asking me all this.”

He threw his hands up in the air and stepped away from the door, and then crossed them over his chest in exasperation. “I’m risking my neck over this, y’know? I don’t know how much trouble I’d get into. Or how much you’ll get into. What’s in it for me?”

Eli was staring at him, her lips parted in a little ‘o’ of shock. She hadn’t expected any of this from such a, well, a dorky kid. She blinked, trying to regroup herself. C’mon, Eli. You have to act like you know what you’re doing or he’ll think this is a lost cause. She had to give him some credit, though. He was working a deal. She had to give him something, even if she hadn’t even thought about what it might be. For him to do this and get caught, he could potentially be sent to the prisons. For Eli, it was probably a much, much worse fate. What could she do for him, even if she might not make it back?

”Look… I’m not exactly one hundred percent sure that I’m going to do this. It’s a huge risk, and if anything goes haywire, I definitely don’t want you to get any fallback.” She took a deep breath and released it in a sigh. ”I’m not sure what I can offer you. I have some money saved up from work. I could pay you, and I could also do my best to convince them that I forced you to do this. I have a bit of a record with messing with people’s minds.” She wasn’t exactly proud that she had a record, but it would definitely help her case. ”I could tell them that that is exactly what I did to you. They would definitely take it easy on you if they believed me.” She pressed her lips together and hoped that her answer would appease him. All the cards were in his hand, really.

Packet seemed to shift his weight a bit, somewhat uncomfortable with the situation. “I’ll open it, I guess. But you keep my name… well, names, out of your mouth. As far as I’m concerned I was being brainwashed.” he said. “Just… don’t get caught. Please.”

He turned and ran his hand along the metal frame of the door again. “Just tell me what you see when you get back. Speaking of back… we should be going. Soon. They’ll catch onto the cameras soon enough.”

Eli nodded and swallowed back the lump that had gathered in her throat. ”Yeah… Let’s get going.” She couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t get caught. She couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t be given the same sentence as herself, if things went south. She didn’t like doing this to him, but she didn’t really have any other genius technopaths to rely on. ”Look… I can’t guarantee anything, Packet. I won’t be trying this any time soon, so don’t let it worry you too much, okay?” She gave him a small smile. ”I’ll contact you, if I want to go through with this. If you don’t want to take the risk, you don’t have to message me back. If you do, I’ll know that you’re willing to risk it to get me in there. Deal?”

Packet sighed, his whole body deflating a bit as he did so. “Yeah, yeah. Fine. Deal.”

The Uncanny X-Babies - Concluded

---

---

Elara

Location: Mojo... world?
Skills: Vertigo Inducement

Elara's widened as she watched Andrew's entire suit begin to spark. Despite the danger of touching an electrified suit, Elara's guilt for hitting him overcame her and she firmly took his hand to lift him back onto his feet. Watts didn't take her hand, but she was too worried about the suit to think anything of it. Watts also seemed worried too, and Elara took a step back and watched in awe as he completely phased Andrew out of the suit.

The suit wasn't her only worry at the moment, as she looked to see that Longshot had gotten back to his feet. She pressed her lips together in anger. This guy doesn't give up, does he? Why can't I do anything to him? He threw another bout of shurikens and even though Elara tried to dodge them, one embedded itself into the muscle above her clavicle. She cried out and gripped her shoulder, knowing that it wouldn't be easy to get this one out. How far had it sliced into her? How much would she bleed, if she removed it? She grit her teeth and sunk to one knee. She could only watch as Belladonna was hit with the blast of a gun. This guy was seriously dangerous. He'd almost killed her. He could if he wanted to. She watched him laugh at Sapphire's words through the tears that brimmed in her eyes because of the pain.

While she tried to think of something to do about the shuriken in her shoulder, she was glad to see that Watts and Arthur weren't phased by his attacks. Even though it took a second throw, Elara watched Arthur yeet the sparking suit right at him. Finally! She thought as she saw what was left of Longshot after the suit exploded upon impact. "Is he down? Did we get him? She asked, watching the still conscious but battered man. Even if the others answered her, she didn't trust that Longshot was down for the count. She needed to do something, and fast. Would the odds be in her favor now, when he was recovering?

She had to try. She focused all of her energy into creating one more illusion. When Longshot opened his eyes, he would see who could be an old friend. At first, her face would be blurred; a side effect of Elara's poor luck in using her ability at the current time. A few seconds later, it would appear that Spiral was standing beside him in the flesh. Face and all. If Longshot really was the friend that Spiral was looking for, he would say or do something to let them all know. Maybe it would even get him to stop attacking. Maybe, just maybe, it would help him regain his memory of who he once was.

The Uncanny X-Babies - Concluded

---

---

Elara

Location: Mojo... world?
Skills: Vertigo Inducement

Elara mimicked Andrew's confusion by furrowing her brows. Her concern grew as he stumbled backwards. As if his head was hurting him. She almost moved to keep him standing upwards, but it seemed like he was okay enough to stand on his own.

Sapphire made a comment and Elara, agreeing, turned to face the man. She looked him over and tried to get a read on this guy. What were his motives? Or better yet, what were the motives that Mojo had given him? Was Mojo's influence strong enough to make him kill strangers? She watched as Sapphire threw more icicles his way, but they deflected once more. Elara narrowed her eyes. What kind of ability was this? The man could land perfectly off of a collapsing robot, and seemingly redirect any attacks. Only one person had landed a solid hit on him, Evelyn, but that only knicked his shoulder. There had to be a way to get this guy.

Her eyes glanced towards the blaster on the ground to her right. Maybe it just took a bit of luck, and a few rapid fire shots to slip past his notice. Just as she was about to make her way over, she heard the whistling of blades in the air. She hissed as she felt something sharp dig into her lower thigh. Just above her knee.

BEEP.

Slowly, she pulled the shuriken- Seriously, of all things, a shuriken??- from her leg and let it drop to the grass. The cut wasn't super deep, but it stung and was bleeding. She looked up to see that Andrew had been hit too, and that his suit was now sparking. "Yeah, sparks aren't great at all. She agreed. Thankfully, she didn't have to step in. Watts was over in an instant, and began to work on fixing the problem.

The fight wasn't going great, either. Longshot dodged any attack, or sent it flying in a different direction. The girls on the team were tripping despite their usual grace, and even though Arthur managed to hit Longshot once, he managed to misfire into the ground right next to him. Casey was quick to give him aid, which meant that Elara could focus on the threat.

What other option was there, besides non-physical attacks? Let's see if we can trick the trickster. She pressed her lips together and focused. She attempted to project a vertigo inducement illusion, but luck wasn't on her side. With a sigh of frustration, she tucked and rolled towards the blaster. In one swift movement, she was in position and fired the blaster twice. The first one hit, knocking the man to the ground, but something happened during the last trigger pull and the blast headed in the opposite direction. Right into Watts and Andrew.

Shocked by what she'd done, Elara quickly ran over to the two men/boys despite her stinging cut. "Are you guys okay? BEEP, I'm so sorry." She knelt between them, offering her hands to help them back up. "Please be okay."

With a frown, she turned her head back towards Longshot. "Stay down." She muttered. She attempted to induce vertigo one more time. Just in case the blaster hadn't affected him much, this would definitely mess with him.

The Uncanny X-Babies - Concluded

---

---

Elara

Location: Mojo... world?
Skills: N/A

Elara couldn't help but grin as she watched Andrew practically skip back into the house. She turned back towards the frozen robot and rested her finger on the trigger. Deep breath in, release, aaand...

She didn't have time to fire. Their precious moments of peace was over in a second as the robot came back to life. It immediately fired upon them. Elara could only gasp for air before the laser hit her square in the chest. She fell flat onto her back and felt her head connect with solid ground as her fingers lost connection with the blaster. The air that she'd just inhaled escaped her chest with a puff, and Elara reached for her chest as she wheezed. In her dazed state, she was just happy that she didn't feel a gaping hole in her chest. It definitely felt like she did.

She shut her eyes tightly, groaning as she felt the pain fade from her body. When her eyes opened, she saw Sapphire dodging her icicles and furrowed her brows. What the BEEP? She blinked. Even her thoughts were censored? Great. Get up, Elara. Get up! Andrew was back, and Elara watched him fire the EMP and miss as she struggled to get back up. She gratefully accepted his help and nodded a thanks before she took the new blaster. "Thanks. Lets hope so."

She gripped the weapon tightly as she positioned it against her shoulder. She couldn't afford to lose another weapon, and she certainly didn't want to miss the robot before it sent another blast her way. It was uncertain how many hits she could take in this younger body. As she aimed, she gave Watts a few moments to make their move. She even noticed the knife lodged into Longshot's arm, and the EMP arrow that the green hood fired that directed itself towards the ground. For a second, it reminded her of the misdirected shots taken at the Mastermind sisters and she worried that Pryor was lurking nearby. Or did Longshot have something to do with it?

"You can't redirect an electromagnetic pulse, BEEP-er. Especially if you can't see it coming," she muttered. She quickly honed her ability in on Longshot with the full intent of removing his sight, but it was unsuccessful. Out of frustration, Elara just pulled the trigger. This time, her efforts were successful.

With a satisfied smirk on her face, she watched the robot fall. She even sent another blast towards it, just for good measure. It certainly didn't do anything since the robot was already down, but it felt good to fire it again. She turned to Andrew, ignoring the remaining "villain" for a moment, and smiled. "Nice work, Andrew. I can see why the team was so bent on finding you."