//------------------------------// // Chapter 56: Sickly // Story: Shy and Aggressive // by Johng117 //------------------------------// The early morning. The start of a new day and the beginning of a daily routine. Miwa was sitting at the kitchen table with her son as they ate breakfast while Junior yawned to himself as he continued to eat. "Excited for the weekend?" asked Miwa. "Yep. Just one last day for the prison known as school and it's off for parole," said Junior jokingly. Miwa shook her head in amusement. "Do you have any plans?" asked Miwa. "Not really. I was just gonna laze about. Why?" asked Junior. Miwa sighed in disappointment. "Ugh. You need to expand your activities. You're a teenager for crying out loud! Hang out with your friends or something," said Miwa. "Why? I already see them enough as it is. I just wanna sleep in and not go out in the cold," said Junior. Miwa sighed. "You sound like an old man," said Miwa with a pout. Junior rolled his eyes in response. "Geez, mom. What do you want from me?" asked Junior in annoyance. "I don't know. I just want you to not be so resentful to your teenage years," said Miwa with a shrug. "Mom, I'm not resentful. I just prefer peace and quiet over going to parties or doing the crap that typical teenagers want to do to feel some kind of superficial worth among their peers," said Junior. "Where do you get that attitude? Because it's certainly not from me," said Miwa in confusion. She was also fairly certain that her son didn't get this attitude from his father. "Meh," said Junior as he continued to eat his breakfast. Miwa sighed as she propped her head up on the table. "You should go on a date," said Miwa. Junior snorted. "Why?" asked Junior. "So you can meet a nice girl and hopefully give me grandkids in the future," said Miwa. "Ugh. Ma..." Junior looked away. "Don't be like that. Come on, I think a girlfriend will be good for you. You know, I like Mosura," said Miwa. Junior groaned. "Ma..." "Ooh. Maybe Fluttershy. She's adorable. Even Erika. Maybe you're into the model or vixen type like Rarity or Adagio? If it's Adagio, I ask you to be careful. I hear how forward she can be," said Miwa as she bit her lip. "Ugh. No, ma..." Junior held his head as his face flushed in embarrassment. Miwa then gasped. "Wait. Maybe you're into older women," said Miwa. "Well, I wouldn't say I dislike older women," said Junior as he scratched his head. His mind wandered to a dream he once had involving Vice Principal Luna. He then shook his head. "Uh- what?" Junior noticed his mother staring at him with wide eyes. "Oh God, what if you got that from me?!" exclaimed Miwa in alarm. "I might have. You did marry dad," said Junior. Miwa moaned as she lowered her head. "Why is it a big deal? Is it wrong that I find older women attractive too?" asked Junior. He then shook his head. "Wait, why are we talking about this?! I'm not going on a date!" said Junior as he got up and put his bowl in the sink. "Wait, what older women do you find attractive? I promise I won't tell!" said Miwa. "I'm not telling you! Stop it!" said Junior as he briskly rushed out of the kitchen with his back pack and out of the house. Miwa lightly laughed to herself. "I bet it's his principals." Miwa stood up and placed her bowl in the sink. She proceeded to wash the couple of dishes inside. As she did this, she quickly turned as she heard the sound of sizzling. Miwa's eyes widened in alarm as she saw a pot of boiling water for the tea she was making was overflowing onto the stove itself, getting into the fire. The woman froze as she stared at the flames from the stove, crackling from blue to red. The sizzling fell faint and all she heard was the pop of a gun and agonized screams. Miwa's breathing quickened as she stared at the flames. They seemed to be growing and taking shape of a flailing figure. The cries grew louder as they rang in Miwa's mind. She suddenly lunged for the stove and turned off the flames, panting. The pot water sizzled as it made contact on the stove, while the rest of the water from within the pot settled, giving off steam. Miwa trembled in place as her heart raced in her chest. Her hands grew clammy and her eyes darted all around. The woman stumbled away from the stove and planted herself on the chair. She then buried her face into her hands as she sniffled. The secret base was bustling with Purist activity. Scar was in the process of giving orders out for moving equipment and stacking up on supplies. Dreadnought moved through the base with a newly installed cybernetic arm. Its gears silently shifted as they allowed the prosthetic to mimic the movement of a real arm. He knelt down and lifted up a heavy box filled with ordinance, moving towards a MONARCH armored truck that was stolen some time back. "Let's move it people! I want us to be on our way to the city in less than an hour!" shouted Scar. "So, where are we heading?" asked Dreadnought as he came to Scar's side. "I'll debrief you and the other Knights on the way. I need to be sure that the remaining prototypes are loaded up onto the truck," said Scar. From deeper in the base, Adrian bore a hard expression. She was currently making her way towards a van, placing a bag filled with clips and magazines that were loaded up with ammunition. Her 'Dreadwing' armor was lying in separate parts in the back of the van, while a man was packing the pieces away in a crate. Adrian turned as she heard someone quickly approaching. She turned and found a familiar woman with a tannish complexion. This was one of the women from the prison that Adrian was sent to. "Carla, did you get them?" asked Adrian. The woman nodded in response. "Yes. The walkies with fresh batteries and spares," said Carla as she presented a black bag. Adrian nodded in approval. "Good. Where's Alexandra?" asked Adrian. "Right here!" said a feminine voice. Adrian bore a look of alarm as she found a woman rushing by, wearing a set of familiar armor. "Is that the Hard-light armor?" asked the man packing Adrian's armor. "Yep. Thing is a bit uncomfortable. It's a little hot," said Alexandra as she tugged at the undersuit’s neck, which was exposed under the armor. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! You can't take that!" said Adrian as she made her way to the woman in armor. "What? You're taking that suit. I thought we would need more help taking on the Night Angel prick," said Alexandra with a shrug. "Because I already KNOW how to use it! You were not chosen by Scar to wear that! Not to mention I told you to get the key to the van!" said Adrian with a glare. "I couldn't find it. But I snagged the manual for this suit, too. How hard can it be to learn?" asked Alexandra as she held up a packet with many pages. "You're going to read all of that?" deadpanned Carla. "Yes. I'll do anything to learn how to use this thing," said Alexandra eagerly. "OK look, you need to put that back! Scar is going to be using all the available prototypes for the next mission. It's bad enough that I'm going to be absent along with my suit. But we'll be in deep shit once he finds out that a second one is missing!" said Adrian. Her eyes then widened as she saw someone standing in the doorway to their garage. It was Stinger, with his same stone cold expression on his face. Adrian bore a frightened look as she stared into his dead eyes. "Ay, dios mio." muttered Carla as she spotted Stinger. "Uh oh," said Alexandra as she looked behind herself to find Stinger. The man made his way over to the group in silence. His cold eyes scanned the women as well as the van that was filled with bags and boxes. Stinger stopped by the back of the van as he saw the other man frozen in place as he held the Darkwing helmet over the box the armor was being packed in. Stinger turned to look at Adrian, who slightly flinched. The man said no words to her, but Adrian knew that he was expecting some answers. "S-Stinger... I know how this looks," said Adrian. Stinger approached her, causing Adrian to stumble back. "I know we're supposed to be heading out of here for something. But I need to take care of something in Ponyville still. I just need the suit for this. These guys are coming too," said Adrian as Stinger stopped his approach as he crossed his arms. She gave him a pleading look. "Come on. We have unfinished business. I just need to take care of it and I'm coming back. With the suit," said Adrian. Stinger merely glanced at Alexandra, who stiffened at his gaze. "I-I was just telling her to put the Hard-light suit back," said Adrian in a nervous tone. Stinger returned his attention to Adrian. He briefly blinked. The man reached into his pocket and held up a key connected to a chain. Adrian's eyes widened as Stinger held up the key as he stared straight at her. He then suddenly dropped the key to the ground and proceeded to walk off, without looking back. Everyone else merely watched as the scarred man left the garage. Alexandra dove for the key and stood back up. "That guy is scary," said Alexandra with a shudder. "Yeah..." said Adrian, appearing shaken. "Can I still bring the suit?" asked Alexandra. Adrian groaned in response. "Fine! But I'm not covering for you!" said Adrian as she snatched the key and made her way to the driver seat. "Let's hurry and leave before someone else stumbles upon us," said Adrian in annoyance as she quickly hopped inside of the vehicle. The hour was late morning. Adagio was sighing as she stood under a shower nozzle in the girl's locker room. A few remaining girls inside were already changed, showered, or still in their gym clothes but with their sweaters on. While most preferred to just get changed after gym, Adagio would rather freshen herself up. She wouldn't want to smell like sweat as she used her womanly wiles on her peers. She aimed to be appealing as best that was possible. "Adagio, hurry up!" said Aria as she slipped on her shirt. "Go on without me. I refuse to go out smelling like sweat," said Adagio as she ran her fingers through her curly hair as soap went down the drain. Aria scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I'm out of here," said Aria as she slipped on her boots and buckled them. She made her way out of the locker room, leaving her sister behind. Adagio was now alone in the locker room, sighing at the peaceful atmosphere she felt, especially the sound and feeling of the warm water enveloping her tired muscles from Physical Education. The steam opening up her pores and moisturized her skin. It was even a great change from the cold weather. As Adagio turned off the shower, she wrapped herself in her towel with a sigh. She began to make way over to her locker, where her clothes and a change of underwear were folded. She began to dry herself off with her towel, and then proceeded to dress herself. As she slipped on her tights over her legs, panting filled her hearing. Adagio stopped as she froze with her tights halfway on. She slowly pulled them up as she began to put on her romper. From the corner of Adagio's eye, she saw movement. She quickly looked to the side, finding nothing to be present. Adagio gulped nervously as she quickly grabbed her ankle boots, sweater and her back pack. The girl quickly ran out of the locker room and out into the hallway. She panted as she walked backwards as she kept her eyes on the locker room door, expecting to find someone to follow her out. She then bumped into Aria. "Agh! Watch it!" said Aria in annoyance as she nudged Adagio away. Her sister whipped around with a startled look, much to Aria's surprise. "What's with you?" asked Aria in confusion. "N-Nothing. Just uh- Just in a rush," said Adagio as she briefly looked back at the locker room. "That explains why you're out here without your boots," said Aria as she cast her eyes down on Adagio's feet. Adagio immediately dropped her stuff, excluding her boots, with a yelp. "Oh no, my tights!" said Adagio as she quickly began to slip on her boots as she hopped on each foot. "Oh man, the hallway floor is so damn filthy! It's hard to get dirt out!" whined Adagio, while Aria crossed her arms with an annoyed look. As Adagio finished putting her boots on, she picked her back pack and sweater back up. "Let's just go. The bell is gonna ring soon," said Aria as she took off. Adagio warily looked back at the locker room and quickly followed after her sister. The two walked alongside each other down the hall, with the experience that Adagio had earlier stuck with her mind. "Did you hear about what happened with Rodan and Angirasu yesterday?" asked Aria. Adagio was knocked out of her thoughts and focused on what would keep her mind off of what happened in the locker room. "Oh. Yeah, crazy," said Adagio. "Yep. I didn't see it, but I heard it was pretty bad. Apparently Angirasu got suspended since some students said that he started it," said Aria. Adagio looked at her in surprise. "The gentle giant? No way," said Adagio in disbelief. Her experience around the boy made it hard to believe. Angirasu just didn't seem like the kind of person that would start fights, especially not with one of his own friends. "Well, it happened. I saw Rodan bruised and bloodied up," said Aria. Adagio smirked. "Hmph. Did you treat his wounds lovingly?" asked Adagio. Aria scoffed and gagged. "What is this? Some cheap romance novel? I just saw him during the aftermath. Besides, that Eliza chick was the one with him," said Aria. "Ah. Cute girl. Kinda awkward though," said Adagio with a shrug. Aria looked down briefly as she took a breath. "Something is off with her," said Aria. Adagio looked at her with a raised brow. "What makes you say that?" asked Adagio. "It's weird. Or just down right freaky. I don't trust her," said Aria. Adagio bore a look of confusion. "Aria, you don't even..." Adagio's expression turned to a coy smile. "Oh, I see," said Adagio. Aria looked at her in surprise. "You do? You know what I mean?" asked Aria. Adagio gave a suppressed giggle as she wrapped an arm around her little sister's shoulder. "Ah sis. It's OK that you feel that way. These are new feelings and they can be scary. But you should trust them and embrace them," said Adagio in a coo. Aria bore a look of confusion. "New feelings? What the hell are you talking about?" asked Aria. "Oh you know. You're jealous!" said Adagio. "Jealous? Of what?" asked Aria, incredulously. "Obviously of Rodan hanging around Eliza! You're jealous that she's hanging around with him more and that he is probably opening up to her. We know that he's crushing hard on her to the point that he's changing his flirt tactics to not scare her off. You wish that he acted that way with you," said Adagio. Aria stared at her sister blankly. She then snorted and began to laugh hysterically, causing Adagio to flinch at the full blown laughter. She began to grow embarrassed as some students in the hallway turned their attention on the two as Aria howled with laughter. "Oh! Where the fuck did you get that from?!" laughed Aria as she held her stomach. "Oh it hurts! Hahaha!" Aria hunched as she laughed, while Adagio flushed with an annoyed look. "OK, Arie. Wrap it up. People are staring," said Adagio as she crossed her arms. Aria began to settle down as she wiped her eyes. "Do you- Hehe. Do you really think I care that he likes her? I'm glad his attention is on her! It gives me breathing room!" said Aria with a satisfied smile. "Then what's your problem with Eliza?" asked Adagio in confusion. "I don't know. She seems like she's hiding something. Not to mention her cousins seem real shady. They-" Aria was interrupted as a boy came rushing to the two, stopping with a pant. "Adagio! I've looked everywhere for you, mistress," said the boy as he bowed his head. "Oh God," scoffed Aria, while Adagio smirked. She stepped closer to the boy as she ran a hand over her chest seductively. "Couldn't wait to see me at lunch? Well I'm flattered, my loyal fan," said Adagio as her eyes slightly glowed from the power that she used to influence this boy. The student nodded as he appeared to have have been slightly shaking. "Th-That's right. I actually came here to..." The boy grunted as he placed a hand on his back, while Adagio raised a brow. "Are you alright?" asked Adagio. "Yeah. Just a little pain. But it pales compared to what I feel in my heart," said the boy. "Aw," said Adagio with a smile as Aria gagged. "He doesn't mean it Adagio. He's just under the effects of your power," said Aria. "Not true! Let me show you my devotion!" said the boy as he reached for his side and drew out a red stained napkin. He unwrapped it and exposed a fleshy and bloody clump. "Ahh!" Adagio cried in disgust and shock as she recoiled. "What is that?!" "It's a gift! To you!" said the boy with a slight pant as he held up the napkin wrapped flesh matter closer to Adagio. The girl whimpered in disgust as she backed away. Aria quickly pushed the boy away with a glare. "Get that away from her, you sick fuck!" said Aria. The boy glared at her. "Don't get in my way! Adagio, please accept this!" said the boy as he attempted to hold out the clump to Adagio again. "No! Stay back, you freak!" said Adagio as she hid behind Aria. The boy looked at her in shock and his expression turned to despair. "B-But-" The boy was interrupted as Aria took Adagio's hand and forcefully moved passed him. This caused the boy to drop the fleshy clump on the ground. He gave a cry of despair as he lunged to retrieve his 'gift', as the girls rushed away from him. "What the hell?" Aria panted with an unnerved look. Adagio shuddered to herself as she looked back as they retreated further down the hall. "Wh-What was that?" asked Adagio. "I don't know. Probably some small animal mashed up into a bloody mess," said Aria. She shook her head. "The kind of the people in this world, I swear. I'm familiar with crazy fans, but that takes the cake," said Aria. She then sent Adagio a glare. "See how your power is messing with people? You need to cut it out!" said Aria. Adagio crossed her arms. "That wasn't my fault! That guy obviously had issues like you said. At most, people just fond over me and are willing to do things for me. I never asked for a freaking bloody mess for a gift!" retorted Adagio. She then pushed passed her sister. "I'm going to be late for class. I'll see you later," said Adagio. Aria shook her head with her eyes narrowed. Junior stood by Rodan as he sat on a chair, moaning in pain as he held his head. The red haired Transmutant was being inspected by the school nurse as she looked into his ears. Junior bore a scowl on his face. "Is he faking it?" asked Junior. "Shut up. I'm not faking it," said Rodan as he held his throbbing head. "Hmm. When did this headache start?" asked the nurse. "Um. Like after fourth period," answered Rodan. "And are you experiencing any soreness of throat or nasal inflammation?" asked the nurse. "Um... I dont know what inflammation means but my throat kinda hurts," said Rodan as he rubbed his throat. Junior was about to respond but thought, ‘why bother’. "Hmm. You may have caught the flu that's been going around," said the nurse as she released Rodan. "Oh. I thought he just had head trauma from yesterday," said Junior. Rodan bore an incredulous look. "The flu? But I'm immune!" said Rodan. "You’re not immune, Rodan. It's just harder for most Transmutants to contract an infection. You just got unlucky and caught a virus," said the nurse as she turned to her desk and began to write on a note. "So what am I gonna do? My head is killing me and my throat hurts," complained Rodan. The nurse handed him a note. "Just hand this to your teacher. If you need to go home early, then you let your parent or guardian know so you can be dismissed early. But in the meantime, I may have some cough syrup and some cough drops you can take to get through the door," said the nurse. "Can I get some asprin for my head too please?" asked Rodan. "Pill popper," said Junior. Rodan sent him a glare, which only caused him to snicker. "I'm kidding," said Junior. The nurse was digging through the cabinet in her office. However, she bore a confused look. "Huh." The nurse rummaged deeper into the cabinet. "Something wrong?" asked Junior. "I just noticed that I'm missing some stuff," said the nurse. "Like what?" asked Junior. "Bandages. A lot of bandages. Cotton balls, peroxide. I should call this in," said the nurse as she reached into the cabinet and drew out cough syrup and a small bag of cough drops. She poured the syrup into a small container with the required amount, which Rodan took and drank. He gagged as he forced the medicine down. He then took a few cough drops as he made sounds with his throat. "Thanks," said Rodan as he stood up and took the note. He then made his way out the door with Junior. "So what now?" asked Junior. "I'm gonna call my mom for a ride. I ain't staying in school sick," said Rodan as he held up his note. Junior nodded. "Mm. I can't afford to get sick. I'd just fall behind in my classes," said Junior. "Ah you never get sick. Lucky bastard," said Rodan. "Nope. Just genetics," said Junior. "Go-Gojira!" called a familiar voice. Junior stopped and turned to find Fluttershy to be standing stiffly in the hallway. "Hey, Shy," said Junior. Rodan smirked as he walked off. The rose haired girl made her way over to the Transmutant. Her face was crimson as she stood before him, fidgeting in place. "So... What's up?" asked Junior, breaking the awkward silence. Fluttershy flinched. "Uh. I uh... Um. You see- I-" Fluttershy began to babble as she kept avoiding eye contact with the Transmutant. Panic was in her voice. "Is something wrong? You're babbling," said Junior with a raised brow. "Oh. I'm so sorry. I just- That is to say... Oooh."Fluttershy shrunk in place as her face grew redder. But Junior grew more confused. "Hmm?" Junior tilted his head. Fluttershy cleared her throat as she put on a forced smile. "Oh. Uh... Never mind. Just wanted to say hi," said Fluttershy. "Um... OK? Listen, I won't be able to walk home with you today," said Junior. Fluttershy bore a look of a disappointment. "Oh. Really? Why's that?" asked Fluttershy. "I'm supposed to be bringing Aang's homework to his place after school. Sorry, maybe tomorrow," said Junior as he began to walk off. "Um.." Fluttershy reached out to him but retracted her hand. "Sorry. Gotta pick up work from his classes," said Junior as he walked off. Fluttershy moaned in disappointment as she slumped her head. She heard tsks from behind, prompting her to look back and find Pinkie Pie and Rarity. "Tsk. Tsk. A swing and miss. Ya blew it, kid," said Pinkie as she shook her head slowly in disapproval. Fluttershy narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Kid? I'm a year older than you, Pinkie Pie," deadpanned Fluttershy. "That's beside the point. You had him right there! What happened?!" asked Pinkie incredulously. "I-I panicked! I didn't know what to say!" said Fluttershy with a flinch at Pinkie's tone. "You could've said 'hey Goji, I like you! Let's hang out! Let's kiss! Let's have lotsa kids together'!" said Pinkie. "I can't say that to him! And those last two things are just plain inappropriate!" said Fluttershy with crimson cheeks. "Just spit balling here!" said Pinkie. Rarity took her shoulders and pulled her aside. "Anyhow, you did crack in the middle. You have to work on your bravery. Try being more assertive," said Rarity. "But I don't want to come off as aggressive towards him," said Fluttershy with a reluctant look. "But Fluttershy, you can't just be so timid. You know him better than us," said Rarity. "That's easy for you to say. Have you ever told the boy you had a crush on about your feelings? I don't see you with a boyfriend either!" said Fluttershy. Rarity gasped with a look of shock while Pinkie winced. "Ooh. Low blow," said Pinkie. Fluttershy cupped her hands over her mouth with a look of horror at what she had said. "Oh. I'm sorry, Rarity. I-I didn't mean it," said Fluttershy. "That was hurtful. But I forgive you," said Rarity as she took a breath. "Gosh, Fluttershy. I don't think I've ever seen you act so freaky-deaky," said Pinkie. Fluttershy took a breath. "It's just... What if he doesn't like me the same way? What if it's all one sided? Things can get awkward and our friendship might be ruined," said Fluttershy as she paced around anxiously. "What if he thinks I'm ugly?" asked Fluttershy with a quivering lip. Rarity placed a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, darling. Is that what this is about? Dear, you’re beautiful!" said Rarity with a comforting smile. "You're hot! That's what the boys in school say," said Pinkie with a grin. Fluttershy flushed brightly. "Dear, I doubt he thinks you of being ugly. As for him not sharing your feelings, well that is something you have to find out on your own," said Rarity. "But... He and Adagio seemed close," said Fluttershy as she twiddled her fingers. "Yeah. Boobies to back close," giggled Pinkie. "Eloquently put," said Rarity sarcastically. "Darling, all Adagio did was tease him. The two aren't even speaking right now. I think your chances got higher," said Rarity. Fluttershy bit her thumb. "Sh-Should I rub my chest against his back too?" muttered Fluttershy. "Wha- No! Goodness, no! That is most unlady-like!" said Rarity. Fluttershy flinched as she shrunk back. "B-But I thought that boys-" Fluttershy was interrupted as Rarity grabbed her cheeks and brought her close. "Fluttershy, listen carefully," said Rarity in a serious tone. "If you want to win the heart of the boy of your dreams, then you must do it class, and self-respect," said Rarity as she looked deeply into her friend's eyes. "OK," whimpered Fluttershy. "No seduction, no bribing, no extortion, and no dishonesty. Otherwise you'll find yourself trapped in a lie. It will drive you into utter despair and misery where you will spend your days a bitter person. Do you understand?" asked Rarity. Fluttershy nodded. "Good. Now, let's prepare you for your next try," said Rarity with a determined smile. It was the afternoon. Battra was yawning as he lied himself down on his couch in his apartment. Class was canceled today, so he now had the luxury of an early weekend to laze about. Not to mention that he had the place to himself for a while until his sister came back from school. The Transmutant clicked the television on with the remote and stared at the screen. He suddenly felt his cellphone in his pocket vibrate as the ring tone jingled. He reached into his pocket and drew out the phone, finding Maud's name to be present. He answered the call. "Hello?" asked Battra as he held the phone against his ear. "Good afternoon," greeted Maud in her usual monotone voice. "Hm. I think I detected a bit of eagerness in that tone," said Battra in a teasing tone. Maud was silent over the line for a couple of seconds. Battra raised a brow at the silence. "Are you busy this weekend?" asked Maud. Battra nearly jumped at the sudden break in silence. "Uh... No, not really. Why do you ask?" asked Battra. "I wanted to know if you'd like to go somewhere with me," said Maud. "Oh. Sure. Where did you have in mind?" asked Battra. "Fillydelphia," answered Maud. Battra raised his brows. "O-Out of town? What's over there?" asked Battra. "Buildings. People. An ocean view," said Maud in a flat tone. Battra merely scowled. "I'm kidding," said Maud over the phone again. Battra shook his head as his expression softened. "I know," replied Battra. "I heard that there's an event going on there. Do you know Kingston?" asked Maud. Battra bore a look of surprise. "Yeah, that's the Transmutant civil rights leader, right?" said Battra. "Yes. He's going to be in Fillydelphia over the weekend. I wanted to know if you'd like to come. And maybe we can... hang out," said Maud, almost awkwardly. "I hear they have good cheese steak." "Heh. Sounds fun. Should I pack?" asked Battra. "Do you plan of staying in smelly clothes the whole time?" asked Maud. Battra chuckled to himself. "Right. Dumb question," said Battra. He cleared his throat. "I'll drop by your place once I've packed. Is that cool?" asked Battra. "Sure. I'll see you then," said Maud. Battra nodded. "See ya then," said Battra as he hung up. Meanwhile in the home of Maud Pie, she lowered her cell phone at her side. Her expression was blank as she stood in her bedroom, glancing at the carry-on luggage that was already packed with clothes and other basic necessities. She made her way over to her mirror in her bedroom and stared at her reflection with her blank expression. She slowly began to curl her lips into a smile, which slowly elevated into a toothy grin, though it looked off. Her eyes remained as if she bore a neutral expression, giving away that this was no genuine smile. Maud made her way closer to the mirror as she kept her 'grin'. The girl slightly scrunched her eyebrows, attempting to raise them. She then carefully pulled the skin on her brows, to raise her eye lids a bit along with her brows, but that only caused a bit of the pink in her sockets to become exposed. Maud stared at herself in the mirror, with a bead of sweat trickling down the side of her head as she slightly shook. Maud released her face and ceased grinning. Her expression returned to her usual deadpanned look, with her cheeks slightly red. Maud ran a hand over her cheek. "My face hurts," said Maud. She stared at herself as she lightly curled her lips into a small smile. She looked at her reflection, with her eyes quickly analyzing the thin curled lips. She returned her expression to neutral. "Be yourself," said Maud. Adrian's eyes were furrowed as she sat in the back of the van. She bore a laptop on that rested on her lap, with a memory card plugged into the laptop. Her Darkwing helmet was resting beside her, with the back of it exposed where a slot was present. Alexandra was sitting in the back with her, still wearing the Hardlight armor, while Carla sat in the front with the man that was driving the vehicle. The vehicle was currently about a couple of miles outside of Ponyville. "So... How are we gonna find the Night Angel? I mean, do you even know where he lives or who he is?" asked Alexandra. "No," answered Adrian in a flat tone. Carla looked back incredulously. "Are you serious? And we're searching without any leads?" asked Carla. "Not quite. I saw that son of a bitch's face last time. The Darkwing suit was designed for both combat and reconnaissance," said Adrian as she was staring at the screen on her laptop. There was footage of the night that the Purists had encountered Gojira Takeshi and his band of Transmutants. Her focus was on the footage where the Night Angel was rearing his fist back for a punch. His face was clearly shown and reflected what was etched into Adrian's mind. "I can use the image captured and cross reference the geometry mapping of his face," said Adrian as the image of the Night Angel bore a grid of different shapes that mapped out the structure of his face. Another window opened up on her screen. "I can use the data to find an image that matches. Anything will help. Mugshots after being arrested, school pictures, driver's license, and my personal favorite," said Adrian as an I.D. picture from the state appeared, revealing the Transmutant's face and name. Adrian smirked as she opened up another window to the internet and went to a random social media site. She typed in the name and found a few results, but one of them caught her eye. "Social media," said Adrian. Her eyes scanned the Transmutant's age, name, his pictures, statuses, etc. The internet and the rise social media really made tracking people down easy. "Battra Yasu," said Adrian as she stared at the Transmutant's profile picture. A smirk formed on her face. "So, where to?" asked the driver. "Shit. Hold on, he was just tagged," said Adrian with an annoyed look. "Damn it! He's at the train station! He's leaving town!" said Adrian in frustration. "Where is he going?" asked Alexandra. Adrian read the tagged status, made by some girl by the name, 'Maud'. Her eyes narrowed. "Shit. He's going all the way to Fillydelphia," said Adrian. Everyone in the van groaned in response. "Well, it's your call," said the driver as he looked at the rearview mirror, looking at Adrian as she sat in frustration. "I rather not wait for him at his place. Who knows how long he'll be gone. He's likely boarded the train by now so it's pointless to go to the station now. Not to mention that we have to make this quick. Scar is bound to have realized I'm missing by now," said Adrian as she sighed heavily. "Take us to Fillydelphia. It'll be a few hours to get there, but it beats waiting." "Got it," said the driver as he turned the vehicle around, driving away from the town that was in their sight. "Hey, I heard they have good cheese steak," said Alexandra. Adagio was sighing in exhaustion as she walked through the hallway. How lucky she was that school had ended. Especially the experiences that she had weighed down on her. Plus, it was the weekend. This girl planned on sleeping in the whole time. As Adagio was walking through the hall, she stopped as she saw Sonata tugging on Junior's arm. Adagio retreated by a corner and watched. Junior bore an annoyed look as Sonata whined. "Pretty please! Let me go with you! I wanna see him!" said Sonata as she tugged on Junior's arm. The Transmutant sighed in exasperation. "Alright, just stop whining," said Junior as he handed a bag to Sonata, who nearly dropped the bag. "You get to carry his homework," said Junior as he left, with Sonata joyfully trailing after him. Adagio's expression turned bitter. She leaned against the wall as she crossed her arms. Just seeing the Transmutant ruined her mood. It felt nearly impossible to avoid seeing him. Her heart just aches whenever her eyes land on him, and her mood grows negative in his presence. "That jerk," said Adagio. "Adagio," said a male voice. The girl turned and found another teenage boy. His brows were covered in sweat as he held a small bag in his hands. Again, another one of Adagio's adoring fans. The girl sighed and placed on a false smile to mask her dejection. "Hey, what's up?" greeted Adagio. "I... I wanted to give this to you," said the boy as he shakily held out the bag. "Aw. That's sweet," said Adagio as she took the bag and looked inside. She removed the wrapping paper that hid the gift inside. "You really shouldn't... Have," Adagio turned pale. Her expression was that of being mortified. She quickly dropped the bag on the ground as she backed away from the boy. "What the hell?!" demanded Adagio. The boy picked up the bag and drew out a bloody clump. "It's for you," said the boy with a pant. "What is wrong with you?! You're the second guy to do this!" shouted Adagio, drawing attention from some students. "It represents my loyalty and love to you! It's very important to me!" said the boy as he held the clump out to Adagio. "Don't come near me with that!" said Adagio as she stumbled back. As the boy approached, another student got in his path with a glare. "Hey, back off you creep!" said the student. "Yeah! Leave her alone!" said another male student as a couple of other students stepped in and blocked the boy's path to Adagio. The boy growled angrily as his pupils constricted. "Get out of my way!" said the boy as he forcefully pushed the first student away, sending him stumbling towards the wall. The student came rushing back at him with a fist reared but the boy quickly punched him in the gut, causing the student to drop in pain. Adagio stared in alarm as the boy was about to punch the student as he was down, but his wrist was caught from behind. He turned and found Applejack holding his wrist with her eyes narrowed. "You best cut it out, partner," said Applejack in a low tone. She shoved the boy back, but he stumbled from the accidental exceptionally strong force against him. He fell to the ground, while Applejack flinched in alarm. "S-Sorry! That shove wasn't meant to be that forceful," said Applejack with a forced chuckle. The boy growled as he quickly got up to his feet and dashed through the hall away from the others. Students cheered at Applejack for getting that boy to turn tail. Applejack smiled sheepishly as she rubbed her arm, but turned her attention to Adagio. "My hero~," purred Adagio. Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Sugarcube, we need to talk," said Applejack. "Sorry, cowgirl. I plan on enjoying my-" "Now," growled Applejack as she forcefully grabbed Adagio's arm and towed her along. "Ow! OK! OK! Loosen the grip!" cried Adagio as she was dragged down the hall, while students watched in confusion. Adagio yelped as she was forced into a classroom, filled with only the rest of the Main Seven. They all had their arms crossed as they had their eyes narrowed at Adagio. Applejack closed the door and joined the girls. "What's with the tension?" asked Adagio. "You know what this is about," said Sunset with a glare. Adagio shrugged innocently. "I haven't the faintest idea, Sunny," said Adagio. "You're abusing your power," said Twilight with a glare. "Wha? Me?" asked Adagio with a dramatic look. "Cut the crap, Adagio! We've seen you!" said Rainbow in annoyance. "Dear, we know how tempting it can be to want to use these abilities." said Rarity with a softer expression. "Speak for yourself," said Twilight with a scoff. "But... We agreed not to," said Rarity. Adagio's expression soured. "Yeah! It's actually starting to get creepy with a buncha zombie high school students following you everywhere!" said Pinkie. "Remember what Amber said. We can't play around with these powers," said Fluttershy. Adagio groaned in exasperation, rubbing her brow. "You guys are such sticks in the mud!" said Adagio. The girls looked at her in disapproval. "What's the harm of having a little bit of fun? Because an insect said so?" asked Adagio in annoyance. "Considering that the insect knew what was going on with us, sure I'll listen to her," deadpanned Rainbow. Adagio rolled her eyes. "I don't see the harm in what I'm doing. I'm just having a little fun with my fans," said Adagio. "You're taking away their free will, Adagio. What kind of fun is that?" asked Twilight incredulously. Adagio scoffed. "Hey, they're just acting on their feelings. If they want to be close to me, then there's no harm," said Adagio. The Main Seven looked at the girl incredulously. "Hey, you do recall what that boy offered you as a gift, right?" deadpanned Applejack. Adagio shot her a glare. "You think that's my fault?!" demanded Adagio. "What other reason is there?" asked Twilight with her hands on her hips. "Well not me! I never asked for mashed meat from people under my influence! Obviously the two guys were just sick in the head prior," said Adagio as she crossed her arms indignantly. The Main Seven looked at the pop star incredulously. "It's happened twice?!" exclaimed Applejack. "Well... Yeah. But everyone else has been normal," said Adagio. "Nothing about this is normal," said Rainbow Dash with a glare. "Adagio, I implore you to stop what you're doing. We have no idea on the range of our abilities. And the fact that what we heard happened twice, calls for concern," said Twilight as she made her way over to Adagio. "It has nothing to do with me! How about getting off my back?" said Adagio as she got in Twilight's face. The petite girl slightly flinched, but stood her ground with her eyes narrowed. Adagio backed off with an annoyed look. "Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to go home," said Adagio. However, Rainbow Dash quickly got in her path of the door with a glare. "Hey, if we have to hold off on our abilities, so do you!" said Rainbow. "Who say's we have to? Gojira's pet?" scoffed Adagio. She shoved passed Rainbow as she opened the door. "Like I'm gonna let her run my life," said Adagio as she walked out of the room and slammed the door. Rainbow groaned in frustration. "Grr! Young pop stars like her are such entitled bitches!" said Rainbow with a growl. Twilight shook her head as she looked to Sunset. "Sunset, this can be a problem. Who knows how out of hand this can get," said Twilight. Sunset nodded in agreement. "I know. Girls, I think we need to look into this more," said Sunset as she looked to the rest of the girls. Meanwhile Junior was walking through a neighborhood, with Sonata walking by his side. He glanced and found the girl to be chipper as she walked by him. In fact, she had a spring in her step as she hummed to herself. Junior couldn't really fault her for being so cheerful. After all, he knew how sweet the girl was on Angirasu. "Hey Goji!" said Sonata, suddenly breaking her tune. Junior nearly flinched at how she suddenly spoke. "Uh... Yeah?" answered Junior. "Do you think that Angirasu likes me?" asked Sonata. Junior cleared his throat as he looked away. "Uh... I'm not sure," said Junior. Sonata pouted. "Come oooon! You know him better, right? You should know!" said Sonata. "I guess. But did you mean as in 'like as a friend' or did you mean romantically? Because I am only confident in answering one of those," said Junior with a shrug. "Obviously romantically!" said Sonata with a giggle. "Thought so," sighed Junior. He scratched his head. "Again, I don't know. But if he likes you as a friend... I guess it wouldn't be far fetched from him liking you 'that' way'," said Junior as he cleared his throat. Sonata's expression brightened as her eyes glimmered. She giggled with glee as she went back to humming. Junior sighed to himself. Soon, the two found themselves standing at the doorstep to a house. Junior rang the doorbell, while Sonata lightly bounced in place as she continued to hum. Junior began to grow annoyed with all of this cheerfulness. "Sonata, could you settle down a bit?" asked Junior. Sonata immediately stopped and bore a blank expression. "Thank you," said Junior as he turned back to the door. Soon, the door opened, revealing Aiko. Sonata's eyes slightly widened in alarm while Junior waved. "Hey, Mrs. Riku. Just came by to drop off Angirasu's homework," said Junior as he held up a bag. Aiko smiled with a nod as Junior handed her the bag. "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble," said Aiko. "No worries. I know how inconvenient missing assignments can be," said Junior. He then cleared his throat as he held his hands in his pockets. "Is uh... Is Aang here?" asked Junior rather awkwardly. "Uh- Yes. He's in his room right now," said Aiko with a smile. Junior began to slightly tense, noticing that this woman's eyes kept falling on Sonata. She even gave off an aura that made Junior feel a bit uneasy. "Can we... Talk to him?" asked Junior, unsure if it was wise to make a request with a woman that was having this effect on him. It was too familiar. "Sure. I'll go get him," said Aiko. Her tone slightly sharp. Junior winced as Sonata lightly scowled. "Yeesh. Sorry that I asked," muttered Junior. "She kept looking at me all crossed," said Sonata in annoyance. "Yeah, I noticed. Behave," whispered Junior. Sonata looked at him in offense. "Wha- But I-" Sonata quickly went silent as Angirasu appeared in the doorway. He was dressed in a shirt and pajama pants. His expression was that of annoyance. "Hey... Guys," said Angirasu. "Hey, buddy. You feeling alright?" asked Junior. "Oh yeah. Fantastic," said Angirasu in a sarcastic tone. 'Man that's some sass. Maybe Rodan is right about him acting a lot like me,' thought Junior in worry. "So, what's up with-" "Gojira, if this is about my suspension, I rather not answer," said Angirasu with a scowl. "Oh. OK, sorry," said Junior in a cautious manner. Sonata bore a worried look as she looked at the two. She knew Angirasu. He wouldn't be this hostile to his friends. "Anyway, your classes gave you a list of assignments you gotta do throughout next week. If you need help, just call me. As long as it's not math," said Junior a chuckle. Angirasu's expression did not change. He didn't even crack so much as a smile. "Sure," answered Angirasu. Junior sighed as he scratched his head. "Um... Angirasu," called Sonata, prompting the boy to look her way. "Do you um... wanna-" "Sorry, I can't," answered Angirasu. Sonata slumped her shoulders in response. "Apparently I have a shit ton of work to do. And that's the least of my problems," said Angirasu as he glanced over his shoulder in annoyance. "Oh. OK. Some other time, then?" asked Sonata. "Bye guys," said Angirasu as he closed the front door. Sonata bore a hurt look as she stared at the door. Junior shook his head as he looked to Sonata. He then gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't take it personal, Sonata. Come on, I'll walk you home," said Junior. Sonata removed Junior's hand from her shoulder as she shook her head. "That's OK. I'll see you Monday," said Sonata as she began to walk away from the house. "OK. See ya..." said Junior as he watched as Sonata left. He then sighed. "Poor girl," said Junior. He then looked back at Angirasu's house and then began to walk away. Meanwhile in the house, Angirasu bore a scowl as he carried the bag of books and assignments to his room and dumped them onto the bed. Aiko knocked on his wall as she stood at the doorway. "What do you want?" asked Angirasu in annoyance. "Hey, no need for the attitude," said Aiko as she stepped into the room. "And I wanted to know what you wanted for dinner." "None for me. I'll just make a sandwich or something," said Angirasu as he began to look at the list of assignments on for his first class. "Angirasu-" Aiko was interrupted as Angirasu groaned in response. "Mom, I really need to get started on this work," said Angirasu. "Hey, you wouldn't have to if you hadn't started a fight at school!" said Aiko. She then shook her head in disapproval. "And with one of your friends? Angirasu, what is your problem?" "Maybe I just want everyone to get off my case!" said Angirasu as he put a book aside. Aiko narrowed her eyes as Angirasu opened a text book. "Don't bother me. I want to get this shit over with," said Angirasu. "Fine," said Aiko as she stood up and walked out of the room. She slammed the door and stomped through the hall. She then noticed her sister looking at her with crossed arms. "What?" asked Aiko in annoyance. "Is that how you ask your son about his problems?" asked the aunt. "Don't start with me. You know how difficult he's been," said Aiko with a glare. "And so have you. Both of you are just acting on aggression. It's not going to solve anything if you don't listen," said the aunt. "I've tried! But he just won't give me the chance!" said Aiko in frustration. She then sighed heavily as she pinched the bridge of her nose as she shook her head. "I just... I don't want to discuss this right now," said Aiko as she made her way to the kitchen. Meanwhile back in Angirasu's bedroom, the Transmutant sighed in frustration as he held his head. He growled angrily as he shook his head. "All the time. All the fucking time! She throws a bunch of bullshit at me!" said Angirasu to himself as he reached for his dresser by his bed. He grabbed his pill bottle and was about to take one. He then scoffed as he sealed it shut and tossed the bottle across his room and into the trash. "And they have me popping pills like a fucking junkie," said Angirasu with a growl. "It's not like they help me feel any better." Junior was making his way over to his home in silence. He sighed, feeling angst from earlier. There was obviously something wrong at Angirasu's household. But he didn't know how to confront this 'issue' with him. Being someone who never had friends prior, Junior never found himself in this kind of situation. It was frustrating to say the least. The Transmutant fished for his house key and entered his home after unlocking the door. He sighed tiredly as he began to walk inside. As he was about to go to his room, he heard light sobbing. Junior stopped in his tracks. He turned down the hall and found his parents' room to be cracked open. He heard his mother. Junior made his way to the door and peaked inside and found his mother to be kneeling at her bed, sobbing onto the bed. "Ma?" called Junior, worriedly. Miwa sniffled as she turned to face her son. Her cheeks stained with tears. "Mom, what's wrong?' asked Junior as he made his way to her and knelt down. Miwa sniffled as she wiped her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her son tightly, much to his surprise. "Hey, what's wrong?" asked Junior as he hugged his mother. Miwa sniffled as she buried her face into his shoulder. Junior sighed as he rubbed her back in comfort. The dark cold night had befallen the country. Canterlot City was of course, fairly bright. GeneCo's towering building stood among the cold, as employees/scientists left the building for the night. The security guards stood at the entrance of the building inside, and just around the lobby. From deeper inside of the building, Discord was in his secret lab as usual. He was ragged from his lack of sleep and proper hygiene. The scientist was looking over a test tube that bore a red-orange liquid. He sighed in satisfaction. He made his way over to a syringe gun and carefully poured the liquid into a small glass bottle. He then stuck the bottle into the syringe, causing it to hiss as the bottle clicked and locked to the gun. Genshiro dropped a few slabs of raw meat into the tank that contained the aquatic hybrids. The creatures quickly swam towards the sinking meat and began to tear them with their teeth. A couple of the fish began to fight each other for the food. Genshiro climbed down from the ladder with an empty bucket that once contained the meat and made his way to Discord. "They eat a lot," said Genshiro with a yawn. Discord stood up as he made his way out to the hall with the the syringe gun in his hand. He made his way over to one of the cells that contained the animal specimens that he had since kept. He made his way over to the iguana cell and pressed on a pad. The cell opened up, letting out a lot of heat from the enclosure. "They have to if they want to grow up to be big and strong," said Discord as he knelt down over to a Marine Iguana and stuck the syringe against its neck. The iguana thrashed from the pinch of the needle and attempted to snap at Discord, but his cybernetic hand held its head. The syringe hissed as the substance it contained was emptied. He released the reptile as it shook itself. Discord then made his way over to the vegetarian iguana that was perched on a rock as he replaced the empty glass bottle with an already filled bottle. "If this succeeds, we won't have to worry about creating new species by starting at early development stages. Instead, we can fully harness the ability of the Transmutant," said Discord as he injected the substance into the second iguana. Geneshiro nodded in agreement as Discord stepped out of the cell. The enclosure was sealed, leaving the reptiles alone as their eyes began to change from a brownish-gold color to amber, with a burning look of fire just at the edges of their eyes. Discord stood at the cell door, watching the lizards as they remained in their enclosure. Genshiro sighed. "Let's call it a night," said Genshiro. "You go on ahead. I want to observe," said Discord. "You ought to head home. You've worked non-stop for weeks. Take a short break and hop right back into it. Besides, you won't miss anything with the survalliance cameras monitoring everything," said Genshiro. Discord nodded in reluctance. "You're right," said Discord as he yawned. "It'd be nice to sleep in my own bed again at home," said Discord as he followed Genshiro out of the hall. The two entered the elevator, leaving the lab that automatically switched off the lights. As Discord and Genshiro walked out of the building, the lights to the main lobby turned off, leaving everything in darkness as the security guards remained behind. However, a metallic object whizzed through the air above the city. A couple of lights flickered off it as it began to descend upon the street corner, where GeneCo tower was present. The disk shaped object zipped through the shadows, not drawing a single eye to its presence. It then began to come towards the back of the building, where a large garage was sealed shut by the heavy metal door. The disk flew towards a pad that was on the wall, with an Electrical Metallic Tubing running from the pad and into the building. The disk ejected metal spider-like legs as it landed on the wall. It scurried over to the pad and opened itself up. The underside of the disk used small metallic arms that typed on the pad, causing it to beep with each button pressed. The garage suddenly opened, causing a loud sound. From inside of the building in the lobby, a guard yawned as he lied back in his seat, not noticing the camera footage that was depicting the garage opening. The footage suddenly garbled up briefly, just as a few figures moved into frame from the shadows. The entire screen then suddenly depicted the garage to be sealed shut. The guard briefly looked to the screen showing the garage, which showed no signs of intruders. He then sighed as he lied back in his seat. "I hate this job. Nothing exciting ever happens," said the guard in annoyance. From within the garage, the metallic disk was attached to the security camera as it depicted a red light. A figure placed a small object on the ground where the garage was opened, and out came a hologram of a garage door, sealed shut. The hologram briefly flickered as the resolution adjusted. Inside of the garage, four figures were present, dressed in dark clothes and masks, and goggles. The four quickly moved through the garage until they entered a hall and continued on through the hallway until they came across a service elevator, away from the lobby. They piled in and waited as they were carried up floors above the lobby. Soon, they found themselves in the Genetics Laboratory. They quickly dispersed as they searched work stations, offices, and shelves that contained a number of containers filled with unfamiliar contents. None of them were concerned with the camera that had their sights on them as they were invisible. Down below in the lobby, the guard was blissfully ignorant of the intruders. For each camera perspective had not once depicted the intruders. Back in the lab, one of the figures was looking through a notebook filled with notes. Her eyes quickly read through the notes from behind her goggles. She found drawings of genetic cells, equations, proteins, recorded observation, and experiments. She even noticed a sketch of a mouse's paw missing, and a second drawing with the mouse's paw whole. Above the second drawing was the sentence, 'Introduction of G-cells'. "Come look at this," called the figure as she looked to the others, who quickly focused their attention on her. They made their way over to her side as they looked over her shoulder. "What is it?" asked a male voice from one of the figures. "Notes on a project here. It seems to be medical in nature. It involves some kind of regeneration," said the feminine intruder. "It seems that there were experiments," said another male among the group. "Over here," said another male. The figures made their way over to a set of tanks that contained white mice. They peaked inside and found the rodents to be sitting in captivity, either eating, drinking, or sleeping. One of the figures drew out a gadget that bore a screen on the back. It shone a grid light over one of the mice in the tanks, while depicting a 3D rendered image of it on the screen, showing its muscles, bone structure, and organs. Strange text appeared on the screen. Text unreadable to most people, yet legible to these four. "There's foreign genetic material in it. It doesn't match that of average rodents," said the male who held the device. "Could it be what they were experimenting with?" asked the female intruder. One of the male figures reached into the tank and picked up a mouse. It began to thrash and squirm in his hold. He then drew out a curved blade from his pocket, while holding the mouse down on the table. With one quick move, he dismembered the mouse's tail, causing it to squeak in agony as it thrashed. Half of the tail lied on the table as blood spilled from the wound. The figure then picked the mouse back up and placed a finger against his goggles. His sight turned to a different filter that showed the creature's anatomy beneath its flesh, and zoomed into the wound that was made. While holding the mouse steady, he was able to see tiny bits of foreign cells to its body beginning to converge onto the open wound, slowly multiplying itself along with host cells. Nerves that were cut were covered by these foreign cells, as they worked together in growing numbers to repair the damage done, but in a slow pace. "Fascinating," said the figure as he held the mouse. He then drew out a container and placed the mouse inside, sealing it shut. "Clean the blood and dispose of that tail. Find anything related to this project," said the man as he began to move away from the tanks. The group dispersed and proceeded to search high and low in the lab. The female intruder looked through the notes that she had again and found text that read, 'Project Heracles'. "Heracles..." the intruder muttered to herself. She then quickly placed the notebook back where she found it and proceeded to look through the lab with the others. One of the male figures made his way near a shelf sealed in glass. He raised the device he used to scan the mice and used it on the shelf. Simultaneously, the substances in the shelf were scanned. The device beeped as one of the cases in the shelf was highlighted on screen. He quickly opened the glass door and drew out the case, where he placed it on the ground. His eyes found vials of orange-red liquid, with GeneCo labels and printed text that read, 'Heracles'. He took one of the vials and placed the case into the shelf where he found it. Suddenly, he stiffened as distant footsteps echoed. The rest went stiff as well, hearing someone approaching. The figures quickly rushed towards an office, where they hid as a security guard roamed through the hall. He peaked in the lab briefly, shining his light through. He then moved away and continued on his walk through the hall. "I believe we have all we need. Let's go," said the feminine intruder. The group began to quickly move through the dark hall, away from the guard. They soon entered the service elevator again, where they ended up back in the garage. They rushed out of the garage as one of the intruders took the hologram projector. The flying disk quickly detached itself from the camera and followed the group as the garage closed. The group disappeared into the shadows, just in time before the guard in the lobby could notice the activity. Unbeknownst to him, the time jumped ten minutes ahead from what it originally was, as if the time hadn't changed prior and suddenly moved to catch up. From outside of the building and just down the street, the figures entered a van that roared to life as its headlights flared on. The vehicle drove away from the street corner and out of sight. From inside of the van, the female intruder took off her mask and goggles, allowing her dark hair to come down. Her grey eyes focused on the other two males removed their masks as well, revealing their faces and similar hair styles.