Animorphers

By the time we run far enough to no longer hear the sirens, my lungs burn so bad I start to wonder if they're literally on fire. I put my hands on my knees, feeling the tight-stretchy material of the morphing suit under my fingertips, gasping for air. Riley completely doubles over the moment we stop. "You all right?" I ask, still out of breath.

Riley doesn't respond. I'm about to ask her again when finally, she responds with, "Peachy." She stays down for another couple seconds, then straightens back up and gives me a smile. "See? I'm fine."

I give her a nod and turn around to take in the scenery around us. We're still in the city, but I can tell were on the outer edge of it. Prairie lands stretch out behind us as far as the eye can see, and ahead of us, rundown city streets. I have no idea where we are.

I turn back to Riley just as she takes a step back, taken off balance by something. Her breath catches and she looks down. Blood seeps through the black morphing suit material over her stomach, spreading more and more by the second from the tiny hole that has ripped through the suit and beyond. In one horrifying second, I realize, She's been shot.

Her legs give out and she falls to her knees, then onto her back on the concrete of the sidewalk. My blood runs cold. "Riley!" I yell. I rush to her side and kneel over her. Her head lolls to the side. I put my hand on her cheek to try and keep her conscious, but her head just falls to the side again. "Riley, stay with me!"

I start to pull her towards me when another bullet whizzes at us from behind. It tears through the fabric on my arm, the bullet grazing me and tearing an eighth of an inch through my bicep. The bullet sparks on the cement in front of us. I fall forward and squeeze my eyes closed. The pain is blinding for a moment, but there's so much adrenaline pumping through me already that I barely notice it after a couple of seconds. We have to get out of here.

I open my eyes again just as a drop of my blood falls onto Riley's cheek. I'm going to have to move you, Riley. It might hurt a bit...just hang on, okay? I say to her in my mind. I don't think she conscious enough to hear me normally, but maybe I can reach her in the depths of her mind.

I pull her up into my arms, gritting my teeth as pain shoots down my arm. I turn the corner just as a third bullet explodes into the brick wall behind us. I don't see anyone on the street, so it must be a sniper positioned in one of the windows of the abandoned building across the street.

A car drives by us halfway down the block, then slams on their breaks and goes backwards until it reaches us again. The drivers flies out of the car and meets me on the sidewalk. "Jesus Christ. What happened?"

"Do you know where the closest hospital is?" I ask quickly.

"Yeah, Porter is just a couple minutes from here. Get in."

The man yanks the back door of his truck open, then flies back into the drivers seat. I lie Riley down in the back seat and sit next to her, her head resting on my lap. The man speeds away, running a red light and getting a symphony of honks in the process. I find a jacket on the floor and I grab it. Press it into her stomach to stanch the blood flow. She's probably already lost two quarts by now. She squirms in pain from the pressure. Her eyes open a little, glossy and unfocused. They start to close again.

"Riley... Riley you've got to stay with me. We're on our way to the hospital, okay? You've got to try to stay awake." She nods weakly and tries hard to focus on me. "That's it. Just keep your eyes on me." I look up at the man driving the car. "Hey, you got a phone?"

He pulls a cellphone out of his pocket and tosses it back to me. I text Layla, "This is Cole. Get to the Porter Hospital. It's an emergency." Then I toss the phone back up into the passenger seat. I look back down at Riley to see that her eyes have started to close again. Her lips are red with blood. I stroke her head softly with my hand. "Stay with me, Riley."

Stay with me.

The man slams on the breaks in front of the E.R. entrance. I tie the jacket around her middle, which is almost entirely soaked through. Then I hug her tightly against my chest and rush her through the entrance.

"Somebody, help! She's been shot."

Riley's on a gurney in seconds, the doctors and nurses rushing her towards a pair of double doors at the end of the hall. "We've got a fifteen-year-old female with a bullet wound to the stomach," a doctor says quickly. "Contact the blood bank and order three units of B positive, STAT."

One of the doctors nods and heads away. A nurse looks down at her with worried eyes. "Hang in there, kiddo."

I hurry after them as they rush her through the double doors at the end of the hall. Just as I put my hand on the door to push it back open and follow them, a doctor grabs my shoulder. "Woah, where do you think you're going?"

"Let go of me, Man. I'm not leaving her."

"Only medical staff is allowed back there. You'll have to wait in the lobby," he tells me.

I nod, pretending to understand and go along with his demands. I start to turn away, but then I spin back around and burst through the door behind him. I turn the corner and see her through a window, being hooked up to monitors in the surgery room. I put my hands on the glass, my hands and arms covered in her blood, watching helplessly.

The doctor comes around the corner and grabs my shoulder, pulling my hands from the window. "You're not allowed back here!" I ignore him. "The doctors are doing everything they can. The best thing you can do for her is to wait in the lobby and leave the doctors to do their jobs."

I continue to ignore him, pressing my hands up to the window once again. Like hell I'm gonna let some stranger that doesn't know anything about anything tell me I can't stay with her.

"You need leave!" He grabs my shoulder again, more forcefully this time. I turn and punch the doctor in the face. He stumbles away, blood running from his nose. He looks furious, and unluckily for me, two guards had just turned the corner behind me to see it all happen. The doctor sees them and yells, "Security!"

I'm thrown back out the double doors, the guards watching me sternly. I walk back down the hall and turn down into another corridor with chairs and vending machines. My hands are shaking, feeling furious and terrified and helpless all at the same time. I start pacing, on the verge of losing it.

Just then, Layla turns the corner at the other end of the hall and spots me. She runs towards me.

"Cole, what happened?" she asks quickly.

My voice shakes. "It's Riley."

"What's Riley?"

"She was--she was--she was shot."

"Who shot her?"

"I don't know!" I yell, my eyes filling with tears.

"Cole, you need to calm down," she says sincerely.

"She's dying. She's dying and they won't let me see her!"

"Cole, breathe."

"God dammit!" I grab one of the vending machines and yank it over. The glass shatters on the floor. I stumble back, running a hand through my hair. My back hits the wall and I slide down to the floor, tears finally breaking and rolling down my cheeks.

Layla kneels down in front of me, taking me in with worried eyes. "Cole, talk to me."

I'm silent for a long while. All of the energy and adrenaline drains out of me, leaving me completely exhausted. My arm throbs, but I don't care. Finally, I manage four words. "It's all my fault." Layla doesn't say anything. She just leans forward and wraps her arms around me. Just this once, I don't pull away. Just this once, I return it and burry my head in her shoulder.

Just this once, I need it more than anything in the world.

Late afternoon light filtered through the barren branches of the trees, casting long twisted shadows across the park. Beyond the shadows was a bench, and on that bench, sat Mr. Neil.

He read a book, trying to pass the time as he waited impatiently for his comrade to meet him. It had been days since Mr. Neil had had any contact with Hiro, and he was becoming worried that something had happened to him.

At 2 o'clock sharp, Hiro sat down on the bench next to him, just like he said he would. Mr. Neil let out a sigh of relief, but didn't look up from his book. Hiro peered down at a newspaper, pretending to read it. It was important that no one connected the two as allies. Hiro's superiors could be watching, or if the government saw Neil with someone from the Japanese, they could suspect him as a traitor.

"Where have you been?" Neil asked. "I haven't seen you since that night at the lake house."

"Sorry. That night, we got too close. My ex-superiors almost caught on. I had to lay low for a few days," he explained, casually flipping to the next page of his paper.

"I understand. But that invasion at the lake house never should have happened. Those kids need better protection. It was lucky they all made it out alive."

Hiro nodded. "I completely agree."

The two men were silent for a moment, then Neil slipped a piece of paper out of his pocket and nonchalantly handed it to Hiro.

"There's a music competition going on tomorrow that some of the Animorphers are involved in," Neil told him. "Most, if not all of them, will be there. If someone was going to try and harm them, it would be then. We need to be there, watching, to make sure they're safe."

Hiro unfolded the piece of paper. It was a flyer for Battle of the Bands, complete with a time, date, and address. "You have nothing to worry about." He smiled to himself. "We'll be there."


When Riley West sang the last verse of her song, the crowd went wild. A born perform, clearly. Neil had known this for a while. It was one of the reasons he had chosen her--she was brave.

In the very back of the audience, he sat in the shadows, watching her carefully as she smiled at the crowd. He stood, and as soon as the stage went dark, he turned and silently slipped out the back doors of the auditorium.

He walked through the empty lobby and pushed his way through the front doors, his face being met with a gust of icy January wind. Outside, Hiro stood, drinking his coffee as he waited.

"They finished performing. No one caused them any trouble," Neil said with a relieved sigh. There had been far too many movies and historical events where an enemy had tried to kill their target while they were on stage. Luckily, Battle of the Bands wouldn't be added to that list. "Have you seen any signs of your ex-superiors?"

"No signs yet. But those kids aren't out of the woods yet. Once they start leaving with the crowds, my ex-superiors could get an opportunity," Hiro said.

"What do you suggest?"

"Anyone driving home probably won't be targeted, because it will be too hard to track them once they're in their cars. They'll go for the kids on foot." Hiro took a drink of his coffee as he thought. "Cole and Riley will probably be here late, packing up. I'll stay with them while I send one of my comrades with you to make sure the others get home safely."

« « • • » »

Michael and Jinx were the first to leave, jumping up into his jeep and driving safely away from the theater. Next, Layla left, giving Neon a ride home. Third, Gwen and Charlotte got in Gwen's old Saab. And lastly, Dan and Emma headed out on foot.

Neil sat inside a black CRV with Hiro's partner, Toshi. They watched as Dan and Emma walked out of the building and headed down the street, towards Emma's house.

Neil leaned forward in his seat and pointed. "There. Follow them."

Toshi put the car into drive. They trailed them, careful not to get too close. Finally, Dan and Emma stopped outside her house. They stood there for several minutes, talking.

"Before we head back to the theater, we should make sure that Dan makes it home, too," Neil suggested.

Toshi nodded and pulled over into a spot behind a line of parked cars. He then reached into the back seat and grabbed a black case, then pulled it into his lap. He opened it to reveal a pistol inside.

"What are you going to do with that?" Neil asked curiously.

Toshi ignored him and continued to screw a silence onto the end of the muzzle.

Neil's heart sank. "You're not on my side, are you? Neither of you are."

"What gave us away?" Toshi asked. "This? Or the lake house invasion that took place hours after you showed Hiro the location?"

Neil, in panic, tried to unbuckle from his seat, but it wouldn't budge. Toshi had altered the seatbelt. But Neil acted fast, pulling a knife with a seatbelt cutter out of a sheath on his ankle. Toshi loaded a full magazine into the pistol.

Neil sliced through the seatbelt just as Toshi pointed the gun at him. He grabbed it, the silenced bullet going through the roof of the car. Neil wasn't only fighting for his own life--he was fighting for Dan and Emma's as well.

They struggled for control of the gun. Neil forced it toward's Toshi's chest. A bullet discharged, and Toshi fell limp. Neil fell back into his seat, exhausted. He looked through the windshield at Dan and Emma up ahead, who were still chatting happily--they hadn't seen or heard any of it.

Neil worked through all the details in his head, trying hard to stay calm. He thought back to his conversation with Hiro earlier in the day. How Hiro had volunteered to stay with Cole and Riley while suggesting that Neil leave the theater.

Neil's breathing quickened. How could he be so stupid? He flew out of the car and pulled Toshi's lifeless body from the drivers seat, dragging him into the backseat. He then scrambled into the drivers seat, turned the car around, and headed back to the theater.

« « • • » »

Neil sped down the street. He knew he was running out of time, if he wasn't too late already. He pulled a hard right to turn into the theater parking lot, his wheels squeaking on the pavement and leaving tread marks in his wake. Finally, he pulled into a parking spot and went the rest of the way on foot.

He turned the corner of where the white van had been only an hour ago, but all that were left in its place were tire marks. Whenever Cole and Riley left, they were in a hurry.

Neil followed the marks until he found the van at the end of one of the alleyways. It had been abandoned with all of their equipment still inside, and the side mirrors had been snapped off. Cole and Riley were no where to be found.

He cursed under his breath. Everything had flipped upside down. All he wanted was to keep them safe, but he had been too trusting, and in the end, put them in more danger than they'd ever been in before.

Neil started back to his car. He turned a corner only to spot Hiro at the other end, walking towards him. Hiro stopped, giving him a look of surprise, then he lifted his gun and started firing.

Neil dropped behind some trashcans, then took off towards his car. Jumped into the drivers seat and sped away from the theater. He didn't know if Cole and Riley were still alive, but now he was certain that Hiro wasn't on his side.

And if Hiro wasn't on his side, then no one was.

I sit in the waiting room with my elbows on my knees, looking down at my shoes. The skin on my wrists is still slightly purple from the ropes Jackson had tied around them. I try to push the memory from my mind. Being drugged and kidnapped is one of the last things I want to think about right now.

Geez, what a week for us Animorphers, huh? The field trip was just over two weeks ago and yet I can hardly remember a time when we weren't being chased, shot at, or dealing with the fact that we can turn into animals. Last year was such a simpler time.

Mrs. West and Janey sit on the other end of the waiting room, worriedly trying to pass the time until we get word of Riley's condition.

Another fifteen minutes pass, then Emma rushes through the front doors, followed closely by Michael and Gwen. I stand when I see them.

"We came as soon as we got your text--" Michael starts.

Emma cuts in with, "How is she?"

"I don't know. They haven't told us anything yet. She's still in surgery," I tell her.

Emma nods, swallowing hard.

"Where are the others? Where's Charlotte?" Michael asks.

"Neon and Dan are on their way," I say. "I left messages for Jinx and Char--"

Suddenly, Neon bursts through the doors of the E.R.. "Where is she!?" he yells.

I sigh. "Neon, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Neon looks at something over my shoulder and widens his eyes. "You!" he growls. I turn to see Cole coming around the corner behind us.

Neon takes off in a sprint for him. "It's all your fault!" Neon tackles Cole to the ground and sucker punches him in the face. Cole struggles under him as we all rush towards them. Michael lifts Neon off him in a fury of flying fists.

Cole scrambles up off the ground, wiping blood from his nose. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

Michael sets Neon down on the ground, still holding him back. Neon hisses. "Neon!" Michael yells. "I know this is a really bad situation, but fighting isn't going to help anyone. I need you to hold it together for a couple of hours until we know what's going on. Can you do that?"

Neon gives Cole a hard stare. A long, tense silence passes, then he breaks free of Michael's grasp. He flips the tails of his scarf over his shoulder, then pushes through me, Emma and Gwen without another word.

Cole shakes his head, then turns and disappears back around the corner, wanting to be alone.

~ ~ ~

An hour later, I find Cole sitting on a bench in one of the hospital corridors, talking to a police officer. "I already told you, I never saw who the shooter was," I hear him say.

"Do you have any idea of who the shooter could have been?" the officer asks him.

"I have no idea," Cole says exhaustedly. "Officer, I've already told you everything I know."

The Policeman nods and heads on his way. Cole looks down at the ground. I wait for the officer to pass by me, then I make my way over to Cole and sit down beside him.

"Hey. How's the arm?" I ask, nodding to the bandage wrapped around it. He's back in his normal teeshirt and jeans, thanks to the change of clothes Michael brought for him.

"Fine." He's silent for a long moment. "Neon was right, you know. It's my fault."

"No, it's not," I say. "You can't blame yourself for this."

"I was driving the van. Riley told me not to go the way I did. She said I was going to get us both killed. I didn't listen, and we were taken. The only reason we ran into the sniper to begin with was because I messed up. Layla, it is all my fault."

"Cole, you saved her life. Riley wouldn't be alive right now if you hadn't done what you did."

"Or, if I had listened to her, Riley's life never would have been in danger to begin with," he says quietly, never looking up from his shoes.

"Cole, you were being chased by five vans with armed men inside. No matter where you went, they would have cut you off. Riley being in danger wasn't your fault. You were in just as much danger as she was. You did everything you could, and because of that, Riley has a chance," I tell him sincerely.

He nods, then looks up at me. "Thanks, Layla."

"Just hang in there 'til the doctor gives us an update, all right? Can you do that?"

"Yeah. Just keep Neon away from me."

I smirk. "Will do."

“Leaving again?”

I wince and slowly turn around to face my dad in the hallway. “Yeah Dad, I’m sorry.” I decide to be honest. “My friend’s in the hospital.”

He arches his eyebrows. Crosses his arms. “Are you hiding something from me, Jinx?”

“No, no.” For once I’m telling the truth! “I don’t know what happened, Dad, but I have to get there quickly.” I look down and fidget with my keys. “I’m sorry about dinner. I’ll try to make it back in time.”

I look up. He nods. “Hope your friend’s okay,” he says.

“Thanks.”

I know it’s not really my fault, but I feel guilty anyway. For the billionth time in my life, I feel like I’m letting him down. I put on my Converse again and climb into the car, shoulders slumped.

I recognize a handful of my friends’ cars in the hospital parking lot. Everyone seems to be here already.

Layla greets me immediately. “Oh God, Jinx,” she says, “they’re taking blood tests.”

“Blood tests?”

“Yeah, on Riley,” Cole says.

“How is she?”

“I’m not sure,” Layla answers, "but we can’t let them take her blood!”

I frown, confused. Then I suddenly realize why it’s such a big deal. “Oh, yeah. Shoot. What do we do?”

Layla paces. “I don’t know. We have to replace the blood samples. We need someone else’s blood.”

“And none of ours would work.”

“Exactly. We’d have to get Janey in on this or get it somehow from Michael’s mom.”

“Hmm.” I cross my arms. “Isn’t there another way? Aren’t there other blood samples somewhere in the hospital that we can switch out?”

Neon comes over. “Absolutely. Listen to this - I’ll change into a kitten, hide in a doctor’s pocket, and do a quick switch when no one’s looking.”

“Don’t you think the doctor would notice?” Cole asks.

Neon shrugs.

“It’s too big of a risk,” Layla says. “We’ll need someone else to dress up as a doctor.”

Everyone looks at me, and my heart drops. “Me? That’s smart. Choose the tallest, most awkward guy, why don’t you?”

“That’s exactly it,” Layla says. “You’re the tallest so you look the oldest.” She begins ushering me outside of the hospital. “Besides, no one’s really seen you yet. They won’t recognize you, like they would with Cole.”

“Where would I get a costume?”

“Costume Castle. It’s right across the street. I’ll come with you.”

“Oh God. Is this illegal?”

“Absolutely.”

We weave through the irritatingly bustling parking lot, jaywalk across the street, and dash to the Costume Castle door.

I’ve never been inside before. When I was younger, I’d make a costume during Halloween with things around the house. My dad said buying something you’d wear only once was stupid. He had a point, and as Layla and I skim over the outrageous selection of costumes, I can only agree more. Fifty dollars for a vampire suit? Yeah, no.

I find myself watching Layla as she browses the costumes more than doing what I should be - helping her find a doctor costume. She’s so passion to help me, and as she jogs around from aisle to aisle and I stumble to follow after her, her energy seems to know no bounds. And uh, her legs are also nice. Must be because of track and field.

“Aha!” she cries, unhooking a white doctor suit from the rack. It’s wrapped in a plastic body bag and comes with a plastic stethoscope. I suppose it looks authentic enough.

“Perfect!” I say, even though that's a partial lie; from what I can remember, the doctors in the hospital were wearing blue. But when I look at her and see that she’s smiling, I can't say anything else. She’s… she’s beautiful. I feel blood rush to my face. “Layla? I want to tell you something.”

“Yes?”

I want to thank her for being so kind. I want to tell her that she’s the nicest person I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. I want to acknowledge everything she’s done for the animorphers. I want to tell her that from the beginning, she’s been the rock, and the pillar, of the group.

“Are you guys finding everything okay?” someone asks behind us.

I turn around, my mouth still open in preparation to spill my thanks out to Layla. I probably look stupid. Or, if you pair the gaping mouth with the annoyed tinge of the angle of my eyebrows, offended.

The acne-ridden face of a Costume Courier backs away, sorry to have said anything. He smiles a bit confusedly when Layla ensures him that we’ve found just the thing we need.

“You were saying?” she asks once he disappears behind another aisle.

“Um.” I glance again at the suit. “Wish it were blue.”

“Oh.” Her face falls. I mentally slap myself. Typical Jinx, turning a compliment into an insult. “I suppose you’re right. All the doctors were wearing blue, weren’t they?”

“Yeah. It should be fine, shouldn’t it?”

“No. It has to be blue.”

A few minutes later, we fortunately find a blue nurse suit. And with that, I'm downgraded from a doctor to a nurse. Serves me right.

We set off to the hospital, the suit draped over my arm. When we reach the parking lot, she leaves me to change in my car. The nurse scrubs are a bit tight and the pants are a good inch or two too short, but I don't think anyone will notice. They might frown at the Converse, though.

When Layla and Jinx run off on their costume escapade to save Riley, I stand anxiously needing something to distract myself with. I walk away from our group towards the bathroom when I spot Cole sitting against the wall next to a creaky vending machine. He walked off earlier. I assumed he wanted to be alone earlier, but now I realize how in a time like this no one can be alone. I slowly walked over, and slid down the wall to sit next to him.

“This may be stupid to ask, because I already know the answer but...are you doing okay?”

“I honestly don’t even know anymore.” He sighs. “Why did this happen? Not just the shooting, but everything. Why did this have to happen to us?”

“I really don’t know, but...I just can’t shake the feeling that it’s for some reason bigger than all of us. And what happened tonight was not-”

“If one more person says that it wasn’t my fault I think I’m going to scream.” He snaps at me, and I feel myself shrink a little. “I’m sorry...I’m just so freaking angry and confused.”

“Look, I know you’re struggling. And you’re allowed to ok? So don’t beat yourself up about it. You don’t have to justify why you feel the way you do. You care about her, and you’re upset I get it. I am to.” I feel tears prick my eyes. “She’s my best friend. You think I like the thought of her dying?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don't be. Ever since I got the news about the shooting I’ve been scared. Suddenly, everything that has happened seems so much more real. There are so many more stakes now, and I’m terrified. Not just for myself but my friends, and my family.”

“I get it. It’s like our lives are no longer our own.” He says.

“Exactly, and that's the exact reason why we all need each other now more than ever. I used to think separating myself from those I love would protect them, but only now do I realize the we’re weaker apart then when we are together.” I sigh. “I want to be braver, and Riley inspires me to do that every single day of my life. And it's moments like these when I realize she’s the glue that keeps this screwed up family together.” He slightly smiles.

“Yeah. When things happened, she always seemed to be the first person I wanted to call. Because I knew we could just talk for hours nonstop, about everything. And it didn’t matter how I felt, she always manages to put a smile on my face.”

“You’re in love with her aren’t you?” I ask. Cole’s face suddenly goes bright red, and I laugh. “Don’t worry I won't tell her, but it’s been there for awhile. At least from my perspective.”

“Is it that obvious?” He asks. I nod with a small smile.

“Even though life is kind of crazy right now, I think you should tell her the truth. It's now more than ever that we should be brave, and we should live like there’s no tomorrow. I now realize after facing my fear on that stage tonight that fear shouldn't be something that controls us, but instead fuels us to finish this.”

“What are you saying?”

“I feel like we need to fight back. Answer the unanswered questions. I'm tired of walking home from school and being afraid that I'm being watched. I’m tired of feeling weak, and useless. But most of all I'm tired of knowing nothing. We were given these powers for a reason, and I think it's time we started using them instead of fearing them.”

“All this because of conquering your stage fright?”

“No. All this because they shot down one of the few people who make me brave, and for the first time I realize I owe it to them to be brave to. And I’m gonna start now. There are some things I need to tell everyone.”

“Like what happened the night I disappeared in the woods.” He looks at me confused. “I captured, and tied up. Mr. Neil was there and they threatened me. They put a gun to my head, and shoved a new tracker into my arm. One that couldn't be removed by us. I thought that if I pushed everyone away then it wouldn’t be my fault. That no one would get hurt. But I see now that I was wrong, and I owe it to everyone to not only share this, but to accept what comes with it.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone. Why didn’t you tell Dan? He found you right?”

“He did, and I blew it off like I do with most things, and know now that I shouldn’t have.”

“I don’t blame you ya know? I feel like I might’ve done the same thing if I was in your shoes.” He says.

“If you knew this was going to happen, that you’d find yourself in this situation, would you have not gone to school that day?” He breathes deep contemplating the question for a long moment.

“I still would.”

“I would too.” After a moment I stand. “I’ll see you later okay? I know she’ll be okay.”

“I do too.” He slightly smiles, and walk off heading towards the waiting room. As I approach the area where my friends are I notice a familiar face heading towards the glass doors, and I walk outside to greet him.

“Hey is Riley okay? I came as soon as I heard. Traffic was terrible.” Dan says running up.

“She’ll be okay. We’re actually currently trying to avoid the inevitable blood tests.”

“Anyway I can help?” He asks.

“Layla and Jinx have it covered.” I explain. He nods, and we stand there a moment in silence.

“Look Emma.” He breaks the silence. “I know this isn’t the best time to bring this up, but I just wanted to tell you that-”

“I like you too.” I say taking a step towards him. He stares at me.

“Wait-what?” He asks confused. “Wait Really?”

“Yeah. I like you a lot.” I give him a small smile, as his eyes travel across my face.

“Well that’s a relief. I thought I was going to come here and ruin everything, or freak you out. Because the other night when we almost kissed, and you pulled away I assumed that you would never want to be with me. But then when I heard the news about Riley I knew I had to say something just to be sure that I didn’t have to give up completely. And-” Suddenly, I cut off his rapid rambling by quickly kissing him. I pulled away and he stared at me for a long moment before he leaned in and kissed me again.

Suddenly at that moment, it didn’t matter who I was were before the experiments or who all of us were; jock, nerd, cheerleader, or artist. It didn’t matter. Ever since those experiments, we were all each other had. We were all that we understood. At that moment we were put in the chairs, we became a family. And now I know that no one, messes with my family and those that I love. No one

Spoiler

@LeftyWriter @LordZeus

School seemed foggy and unclear. Wherever Michael walked, it felt like he was in a dream. Students wouldn't look at him but instead at whoever they were talking to. Teachers wouldn't notice him when they handed out papers. He was just another student there. His popularity level had dropped to ground level (not like it matter, anyway). He had spent most of his time thinking why he was chosen to be an Animorpher, along with some other people he didn't stand a chance to actually knowing. Maybe because he was so full of himself that he bother looking at those around him. He remembers living the normal lifestyle with his mother cooking dinner and pesting about homework. He wishes that he had the time to tell her how much she meant to him before she actually saw what was going on. His secret about being the mighty lion. Sure, as a child, he had looked up to the lions and their mighty strengths but he never truly thought of being one. It was pure coincidence to actually get this chance and it was costly.
Now, sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, Michael Anthony was surrounded by the rest of the Animorphers. He didn't expect one of them members to be hurt by the Japanese government nor did he expect them to interact with the plan. Their teacher, Mr. Neil, was still on the loose somewhere but everyone hated him. They were tricked by a simple field frip, without knowing. Maybe they weren't tricked but Michael likes to think so.
The waiting room was grey and sad. A potted plant was next ot Michael, containing a fake tree that looked like it was dying. Brown tints were at the edge of the green leaves. He knew this because as a child, he had noticed how the texture of the leaves were different from that of real leaves. They also looked faked, cloth strings would hang from some of the leaves.
People were whispering in the hallways of the hospital. Doors leading to different room. Small shouts could be heard from somewhere. Michael had the fear of hospital; not for their eerie vibe dealing with death but more of what happens here. Sitting there, in the waiting room with other people, he felt small. Unsure. Everyone in the room, probably felt that.
Next to him, sat Charlotte. She had her hair tied into a ponytail with her eyes down at the ground. Wearing only a grey t-shirt and blue jeans along with grey converses, it seemed to be a drop down from her normal self. Charlotte usually, to Michael anyway, was cheerful and looking for the best possible option. She was always behind him on everything and he had grown to like her because of that. The irony of it all, she was the small, fragile gazelle that lions commonly ate. That didn't stop Michael from liking her. And for a second, he knew she liked him.
Raising a hand, he patted Charlotte's back as she looked back with solemn brown eyes. Michael could feel the pain in his chest, spreading over his heart. He wish he could say something to make her feel better but all the same, he felt the same. He remembered when his little sister, Dannii, dog had died. The pity in her eyes were clear as the dark clouds that thundered above when they buried it out back. She locked herself in the room for the rest of the day. His brother, Alex, didn't do anything about it. He was in his room, playing video games. Michael was left with the guilt. The pain of everyone in the house.
Charlotte looked back at the ground as Michael, still with his hand on her back, looked across the room from where he was sitting. There was an mom with a small boy, gripping tightly onto her hand. The mother looked concerned, blonde highlights that showed in the dying light above. The boy appeared to be shaking. He was trying his hardest not to cry. A doctor came out from one of the doors and there was a wave of relief that pushed through. He paused, looking down at a clipboard. And frowned deeper. The doctor then walked over to the mother, placing a sturdy hand on her knee and muttered something. Her facial expressed changed from confusion to sadness, in a matter of seconds. She was whispering, "it can't be true" over and over again. The little boy looked up in panic and started bawling. He whimpered, "big brother is dead!" over and over again.
Michael gulped, trying his best not to look but the noises were echoing into his brain. Staining his memories. It was awkward in the room as the doctor and some nurses crowded around, telling her it was okay.

After a while, mom and her son had left, Michael along with everyone else waited in patience. The room seemed to be a ticking bomb. Each passing doctor seemed to be holding a different report or nurses would just stop by with other news. At one point, Michael thought they had been here for an entire day until a doctor walked through the door and smiled.

"Animorphers, I'm pleased to say she is alright. You can visit her but one at a time, please." And slipped away as everyone filed into the small hallway. A lighter feeling was washed over everyone. Michael stepped away from the crowd and looked through a window. He saw a boy wearing a blue smock and holding a teddy bear. His family was around him, smiling. Michael, for some reason, was reminded of Jackson. Gwen had killed him. He didn't why or how but he just remembered hearing about it from Charlotte, offhandedly explaining what had happened.

"Michael, come say hello to Riley," Charlotte called out. He waved to tell her, he'll be right there. Getting off the wall, he headed towards the room, with a strong feeling bursting through the thick egoistically personality he held. The Animorphers had changed him, he knew that much. Stepping into the hospital room, passing Charlotte who smiled back at him brightly, Michael had a feeling he'd probably be stuck with them for the time being. And he didn't mind that at all.

I killed someone.

Not just anyone... someone I knew. Not that he was a friend, but I'd known him since junior high. He was my age. And worst of all, he was Michael's friend. He still hadn't talked to me since.

I stared at myself in the mirror of the hospital bathroom, recognizing the face I've always known, wondering if what was behind it was still the same. I'd felt sick since that day at the warehouse, and I wasn't sure if it was because I had blood on my hands, or if it was because I could turn into a wolf--the one thing I'd always feared more than anything.

I was a monster.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I knew people would have a hard time convincing me otherwise. I had become the very thing that tried to tear my arm off when I was six years old. I killed Michael's friend. I almost killed Charlotte. Who knew when I'd morph again without intending to, or how many more people I'd hurt. I didn't know how to control it.

I scrubbed my hands with a paper towel, vigorously trying to clean off the invisible mark of what I had done. But no amount of soap would clear me of that weight. I was stuck with that burden forever.

The more I drowned in these thoughts, the more I lost it. My heart pounded too fast, the blood rushing in my ears so loudly I could barely hear anything else. My face turned as red as my hands, sweat prickled at my forehead. Finally, I yelled and threw the paper towel against the mirror. It slid down, leaving streaks on the glass that warped my face into something it wasn't. Longer, thinner... like a wolf's. In that moment, I wondered if that was a more accurate representation of what I should look like. I wasn't human. I wasn't wolf. But in some twisted way, I was both. And if there wasn't already enough for me to be scared of in that moment, I now had to deal with being afraid of myself.

Suddenly, I heard someone banging on the bathroom door. "Gwen?" they called. It was Charlotte.

"What is it?" I called back.

"The doctor is letting us in to see Riley," she said.

"Okay, I'll be right out."

I took in a deep breath, splashed my face with cold water, then dried it and my hands with a paper towel. With one last look at my reflection, I headed out the door.

Charlotte started heading down the hall as soon as I came out. Michael was with her, but he avoided me. I fell into step with them as she gave me the details.

"She's not awake yet, but the doctor said she was stable and could have visitors," Charlotte explains. "They said it was a miracle she pulled through. I guess it came pretty close."

We stepped through the door into Riley's room. Cole, Emma and Neon were there, and some flowers and balloons had already begun to collect on one of the tables at the back. And there was Riley in the hospital bed. Pale, unconscious, but alive. She was on a respirator and IV's and tubes seemed to come from everywhere. I realized that could have been any of us, and that we were probably all in a lot more danger than we even imagined.

Seeing Riley that way was a hard sight to take in. Not only did she look awful, but it reminded me of the way my mom looked the last time I saw her. Riley was going to pull through... my mom wasn't so lucky.

God, I hate hospitals.

Suddenly I felt like I was suffocating. "I'm gonna get some fresh air," I blurted out. And before anyone could respond, I was back out the door.

As soon as I was out of the ICU, I could breathe again. I winded through some hallways until I found one that was a little less busy, then let out a sigh and leaned against one of the walls. I watched the people as they passed by me. Nurses, doctors, kids, a young man in a plaid shirt, a middle-aged woman in purple dress... Then two Japanese men wearing sharp cut suits and polished black shoes. They stuck out like a sore thumb.

I watched them closer and noticed a bulge on each of their sides, under their coat jackets. With the way the fabric brushed over it, I knew instantly what it was--a concealed gun.

With a jolt, I realized that the Japanese must have learned that Riley pulled through and were here to finish the job... and maybe get in a few bonus targets while they were at it. My heart began to pound.

One of the men looked up at me when they passed. It felt like it was in slow motion, the way his head slowly lifted, his hair brushed across his brown eyes, reflecting off the florescent lights above. I tried to look away before our eyes met, but they locked for just a moment. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

They continued on past, and I let out a breath. They didn't recognize me, I thought. Then almost if on cue, they stopped. One of them pulled a piece of paper out of their jacket pocket, looked at it for a moment, then put it back in their pocket.

In one swift motion, they turned, drawing their silenced guns from beneath their jackets and fired. I ducked and the bullets went into the white wall a couple inches above my head.

The wolf didn't like that very much, and in an instant, the world drained of color and became sharper as my eyes flashed golden, and my canines elongated into daggers. I growled while struggling to keep control. What happened at the warehouse couldn't happen again, especially not in a hospital.

So I handled it the human way and bolted down the hall away from them. A couple more shots went off, blowing holes in the tile right under my heels. I skidded around the corner and stopped short when I ran right into two more men. I inched back, my hands flying up to my ears.

I looked behind me, in front of me... I was surrounded. No where to run, no way out, four muzzles pointed at my head. My whole body trembled. This was it, I was sure of it.

I stopped half way between the two sets of men and closed my eyes. Three seconds ticked by that felt like an hour, then four silenced shots were fired. My body flinched--then nothing.

I opened my eyes just as all four Japanese assassins fell to the ground, revealing the four men standing behind them, holding their own silenced guns. They all wore unmarked army-green jackets and grey baseball caps. They each lowered their weapons.

My eyes faded back to normal. I stared at them, frozen. They stared at me. Then finally one of them said, "What is your name?"

"Why do you want to know?" I asked.

"Does Project Miles Eximius mean anything to you?"

My eyes widened a little. Just then, Emma came around the corner.

"Gwen, there you a--" She stopped cold. Looked down at the men on the floor, then up at the four men surrounding me. "What is--"

"Your name is Gwen?" one of the men said to me.

I looked back at him. "Who are you?"

"We're agents of F.U.S.E.. Does that mean anything to you?"

I shook my head a little. "What is F.U.S.E.?"

"Federal Unit of Scientific Experimentation. We green lit Project Miles Eximius. You were involved, weren't you? Both of you?"

I didn't know who these men were, or if they could be trusted. But they saved my life and seemed to have answers. So I gave them a small nod.

"My name is Jay," the man said. "It's not safe to talk here. Come with me."

Jay led us down the hall, leaving his comrades to clean up the mess. It was just him, me and Emma, which made me feel a little better. There was more of us than there was of him, and based on what he said, he should know what we're capable of. If he was planning to kill us or capture us, he would have done it by now.

He led us up to the roof of the hospital. It was a bitter cold day. A light wind tossed my hair around, made a chill run down my spine.

Finally he turned to face us. Took us in for a moment. "God, you're just kids."

"If you green lit the experiment, why don't you know who we are?" I asked.

"F.U.S.E. provided the funding for the project, but everything involved was done at M.E.L.. All of the data and records were stored in their computers. Once the lab was bombed, we lost everything having to do with the experiment, including the identity profiles of the test subjects."

"You mean of us," Emma butted in. "We were the test subjects."

"Yes, I'm sorry," Jay said. "There was a lot Dr. Liam and Dr. Neil kept from us, including the ages of who would be involved and whether they would be willing or not. The project didn't go how we intended. It was a failure and now we're trying to clean up our mess... our mistakes."

"That sounds a lot like what the Japanese are trying to do, only they want to kill us," Emma said.

"Our intensions are quite the contrary. We want to protect you from the Japanese until we can find a way to stop them. We've completely shut down the experiment. No more trials or tests. Now we just want to make things right," he explained.

"Why now?" I asked.

"Like I said, after the lab was bombed, we didn't know who you were. We've been spending every waking hour of the last three weeks trying to find you guys. We kept hitting dead ends or missing you by a couple of hours... but when Riley West was brought into the hospital, it put you guys on the map," he said. "It allowed us to find you, but that also means it's going to make it easier for others to find you as well, which is why you're going to need our protection."

"Why should we trust you?" Emma asked.

Jay ponders her question for a moment. "Like I said, we just want to make things right. Enough lives have ended because of this. We don't want yours to be added to that list. And after everything you guys have been through, you could probably use someone you can trust, and above all else, someone who understands. You don't have to keep your secret from us. We probably know more about it than you do."

I crossed my arms over my chest, bracing myself from the cold that was starting to seep into my clothes. "So, what do you want from us?"

"Because the lab was bombed, the project was interrupted. We never got to run tests on you after the initial experiment. You kids underwent something that no one else has ever gone through before. We'd just like to do a check up to make sure you're all okay. On top of that, we'd like to give you a safe place to come to, and allies in times of need. You kids have been carrying this burden for a long time. Let us take some of it off your shoulders."

Emma and I looked at each other for a long moment, then looked back at him. Neither of us were sure what to say.

Finally, Jay gave us a smile. "I know it's a lot to take in. Take my card, and call me once you've had time to process and tell your friends." He handed me his card, then looked sincerely into my eyes and said. "I promise you, you can trust us. Make the right decision before more of your friends are almost killed."

Then he looked over at Emma and said, "It was a pleasure meeting both of you. I hope to see you again soon." Then he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his green jacket and headed for the door to the stairwell.

And just like that, our world had been flipped upside down all over again.

Dan looked from Emma to Gwen then back to Emma. "So, let me get this straight...some strangers showed up and shot your would-be assassins right in front of you, then claimed to be part of the organization that greenly the Miles Eximius Project, yet did not know that we were kids, and told us to trust them as allies. Is that right?"

They both nodded. Dan sighed. "That's crazy. They can't seriously believe we'd accept this after all that we know now, right?"

Gwen looked hesitantly at Dan. "Well..."

Dan gaped. "Wait, don't tell me you're actually considering this?" They were standing in front of the hospital. A couple going on looked at him quizzically at his raised voice and he stopped talking.

Emma looked up at him. "But we do need help, Dan." she pointed out. "We're being hunted, and we could use some allies on our side.

"But this whole thing doesn't add up!" he protested. "Think about it. How could they have green-lit the experiment without knowing one it's most basic details? They would probably at least have known that the test subjects were involuntary. And even if they only knew the experiment's most basic details, they were actively participating to turn humans into living weapons of war. An organization that does that, in the level of secrecy that they did, cannot be trusted."

"I get what you're saying." said Emma in a soothing voice. "It's a risk. But it's also a risk to go it alone."

"If we accept this, then they will use us for their own ends. I don't believe the guardian angel act they're putting on." he warned. "And you shouldn't either. I sincerely doubt their concern is strictly for our personal wellbeing."

"We'll think this over." said Emma firmly. "And you should give it some more thought too."

Dan reluctantly agreed and Emma and Gwen went in to tell the others. He strolled down the road, considering what he had been told.

He was walking through a crowd near a bus stand, whistling, when he realized someone was saying his name.

"Hey, Dan." someone whispered, and Dan turned to see a middle-aged clean shaven man with tanned skin and a salt-and-pepper beard an glasses strolling beside him.

"I'm a friend. Join me on the bus. I'll pay, don't worry." and he stepped on to a passing bus. Dan stood, considering for a moment, before, on an impulse, running and jumping onto the bus. Th man paid and sat down in the back seat and gestured across from him. Dan looked at him curiously but sat down.

Already, Dan's mind was racing. What if he was Japanese and was going to suicide bomb them all? Or maybe he was F.U.S.E and the people in the bus were agents who were going to hijack it and kidnap him.

But the bus' inhabitants, tough few, had all kinds of people, including a mother with an infant. Still, Dan was still very suspicious of the man he was sitting accross from.

Watching him, the man chuckled. "Suspicious, yes? Well, given all you've been through, I don't blame you."

Dan muttered, "Alright, cough up everything."

The man smiled. "I heard what you just said, you know. To your friends? We have listening devices outside the hospital to keep tabs on you kids."

Dan started. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Keep your voice down, please." uttered the man softly. "Let's just say that my compatriots and I are no friends of your government and it's cronies. Nor the Japanese, who are no better. We constitute the middle path. The path of global peace."

"Stop distracting from the point if my question. I asked one simple thing; Who are you?"

The man dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement. "You're right, I apologize. we are a multi-faceted organization designated with one purpose: to stop the growing problem of global tensions and prevent another world war. Our members are many and diverse, high and low alike. And we have been watching you. Following you. Even protecting you."

"Protecting us?" protested Dan. "How did you do that? We were just attacked in the hospital, and Riley was shot before that! You did noting then."

The man adjusted his glasses. "My agents were there too. But when we noticed the F.U.S.E agents coming in, we held back. No good alerting the enemy to where we were. As to the latter...that was accident by one of our people. I apologize. He has been disciplined. He won't be making the mistake again. An not to mention it will be a while before he reaches the rank required to be in a position to make that mistake again."

Dan stared at him slack-jawed. "You shot Riley. You bloody buggers shot Riley." and he got up abruptly, his fists clenching."

"And I told you." he said calmly. "Which means I'm not going to lie. We also protected you in the cabin. That was our operative who took out the Japanese assassins, you known. And that's not mentioning who took care of things whenever the Japanese tracked yo down. Thy have substantial resources, you realize. I don't even remember how many times we had t...ah...end things before they got too dangerous for you. It kept us on our toes. And who do you think took out that assassin who was going to shoot you that night in the forest? My man again."

Dan's mind shot back to the man who had saved him, shooting down his attacker. He had only told his friends. But even if that had not been the case, Da realized that it all made sense. It seemed that this man and his shadowy organization had in fact been protecting them from the beginning.

"Why?" he snapped.

The man seemed unperturbed at his tone, calm replying, "The government turned you into biological weapons. They ruined your lives on purpose for their own ends. They create distance by delegating it to special branches like F.U.S.E. But they are always moving pieces behind the scenes. They are willing to cut as many corners as it takes to gain their goal of world dominance. And they don't care how many people they step on on the way. You were victims. It was our duty as the Protectors of peace to save you. Or else the government would begin a war with you on the front lines. ."

Then he smiled. "But I'm not going to be F.U.S.E, trying to convince you that we were entirely altruistic. Some of us believed that you might be persuaded to help us out, perhaps even join us. We do need all the help we can get after all."

Dan's mind was in a whirl. What the man was saying was incredible. But he was agreeing with I'm. Everything the man had said about the government, Dan had been thinking about for a while.

"I was reluctant." he admitted. "But I eventually agreed to talk t you."

"Me?" asked Dan bewildered. "Why me?"

"Because I think you an we agree on this. You are less trusting than the others. Perhaps in the case, it's a good thing. You're not going to be easily taken in. But you think like us, I can tell. But I should warn you, once you join us, there's no going back. We have resources, but both your government and the Japanese will be hunting us. It won't be easy."

The gears turned in Dan's mind. "I'm not sure I can trust you, yet. You haven't even told me your name."

"Ah, apologies." said the man with a wryful grin. "You can call me Cooper, Secretary General of the Protectorate."

Dan shook his head. "Still, I've just met you and I have no real idea you're all you claim to be. But you do seem more...honest than what I've heard about the F.U.S.E agent. So I will give it some thought."

Cooper nodded. "I understand. It's a big decision and I am a stranger on bus. But take this." and he handed him a pad of red sticky notes.

Dan looked down at them then up at Cooper.

Cooper chuckled gain. "If you ever need to talk to us or need our help, put one of these on your window. We will send agents to stop by from time to time to check. Oh, and do me a favor please...don't speak about us to your friends until you've made your decision. I want to know what you think first. And take your time. This is a lot to be getting in to."

Dan nodded. The bus stopped as he got up and he walked out the door. He stood motionless at the bus stop, before his recent experience really hit him and he let out a tortured sigh. He had much to think on.

Two new sides. Two new forces to add to the equation. And us still in the center. And they still all want us. But he took a deep breath and stood. They would not be cowed They would survive this, just like they had survived what had come already. Whatever, happens, the Animorphers will live through it...I just hope we make it in one piece.

“So if Miles Eximius exists for the purpose of creating super-soldiers, it doesn’t make sense to put it inside of teenagers,” Neon said. He was sitting in the comfortable chair of the lobby, running his mouth off as the others pretended not to listen. “Unless they were counting on the DNA bonding with our own. If we aren’t done developing, that means that there’s a period where the transformation is adapting. if we’re in that period, it also means that our animal genes haven’t reached their full potential. And if it turns out to be too strong - who knows what’ll happen to our actual DNA?”

Gwen flinched as he said this, and Michael intervened, shaking his head. “That’s enough, Neon.”

Neon glanced at him. “What? I’m not saying we should trust F.U.S.E. - of course not. But it’s going to be dangerous if we don’t even know what using our powers means.

“Look,” he said, leaning close, “our DNA could be affecting us, changing our behavior, and we don’t even know it. Who knows what could happen, who would get hurt, who could die-”

“Neon!” Michael shouted, shattering the sterile quiet of the hospital. “I said that’s enough!”

Neon shrank back for a second, but then surged angrily from his seat. “Enough? Enough of what? Were you going to say enough acting like we’re clueless and unsafe, because that’s exactly what’s happening now. That’s the reason we’re here - it’s the reason you couldn’t protect her!”

Cole stiffened and stared harder at the coffee table. Layla crumpled her magazine while Charlotte sipped on an empty cup of tea.

“You want to just courage your problems away, well that’s not going to work! All of you!” Neon’s voice became truly menacing. “How much longer do you want to pretend we’re superheroes?”

Cole rose to his feet, glaring at him. “How long did you?”

Neon glared at him, opening his mouth to retort; but he couldn’t make a sound. His mind had gone chalk-white, the color draining into the ground, leaving him light as a ghost. Slowly, his mind began to tremor, synapses bursting inside of him before he grabbed his arm to stop himself. He didn’t look back up.

“I’m going home.” Without another word, he swung his legs from the chair and walked to the door. Neon wasn’t sure of it, but he felt something collapse as he walked away. Whether it was his or theirs, he’d never know.

The automatic sensor registered his small stature, and the double doors opened as if by his own wielded power. Neon smiled momentarily before glancing to his right.

Emma had taken the seat closest to the door. She looked desperately at Neon, who stared back into her shining eyes. He, the genius, could see it then: her love stories and dreams, tears and grins, all with Riley by her side. Now she was cast adrift within a maelstrom, shaken up and rolled into a die that would land on a nation’s fate. By far, the one who had suffered the most emotional trauma in these fleeting weeks. Oh, how terrible.

Neon’s smile turned cruel in that one moment, and he gave Emma a single, devastating shrug. Pain never warranted pity, especially from the beasts. And he was Neon, kitten of darkness.

“Looks like it’s up to you now, Emma,” he cackled, then turned away so he didn’t have to watch her reaction.

“Weren’t you leaving?” shouted Cole, but he hadn’t even finished the sentence before Neon had waved the doors open again, and the lord of darkness had disappeared into the evening light.

It took Neon a long time to get home. He walked.

--------------------

The sun was sinking into the horizon by the time Neon reached his house. He looked behind him, watching his shadow grow longer until it disappeared.

“Oh man,” he muttered, stretching his shoulders, “I’ve been away for way too long - this place is going to be an absolute wreck.”

Turning down the street, he could see the lights on in Gwen’s house. He supposed her family was having dinner, and tried to make humor out of the image of her scarfing down meat like a wolf, to the amusement of her entire pack.

He pulled his scarf closer around his face, turning back to his own home. The bright red paint job used to be distinct, but had withered away to a raw pink color. It felt appropriate, so Neon had never fixed it.

He never locked the door, either, and as his hand gently turned the knob, he felt a breeze slice through, clipping the leaves from trees. Not waiting any longer, Neon pushed the door open and was greeted with blackness.

He sighed, groping in the dark until he found a wire, jamming it into a potato. The circuits rejuvenated, and light burst up into the room. The living room had retained its chaotic look, with old experiments lying about, charred potato skins, and the TV dissected like a Frankenstein’s monster. It was exactly how he had left it.

Neon walked across the room, king over a domain of knee-high wastepaper and destroyed wires. Nobody had told Neon not to draw on the walls, and calculations looped across the decaying plaster. The lines of arithmetic ran into the kitchen, where five plates sat unwashed in the sink. Neon bent over them and looked out the window, relieved to see that his garden was still surviving. It would be baked potatoes again tonight.

But dinnertime was past, and he could always eat later. Neon turned on his heel and marched up the stairs. Right now, there was something far more important.

The house had two bedrooms, one of them immaculately kept, dusted and polished to a sheen. The other one was Neon’s. Stumbling across mounds of undone laundry, he found his desk and computer with a thin coat of dust. He wiped off the monitor, pushing the button to boot up the ancient device. It was the only machine in his house that didn’t run on potatoes; the calls he made were too important to entrust, even to his potato power.

Beside the computer was an old potato clock, bronze and silver wires running through the vegetables and into the screen, which read 8:4-. Some of the lights had come unconnected, and Neon fiddled with them as he pulled up his chair. Despite the technical difficulties, it ran well for a six-year-old clock. Neon gingerly put it back on the desk, turning back to the computer.

He opened up his messaging program, and typed in the dial code. Even if it was nighttime in Silver Creek, it was still wearing into morning hours where he was calling. Neon sat back in his computer chair as his screen opened up into a camera call to China.

He was looking at an office, filled with monitors that cycled communication lines through the company. An operator wheeled himself into view, squinting at the Neon’s poorly lit face. “Hello, sir, how may I help you?” he said in an over-cadenced accent.

Neon gave him a wave. “It’s Kingsley. Could you patch this call to your supervisor, please?”

The operator’s eyes widened, and he nodded, scrambling at his keyboard. “Of course, sir. Just a moment.”

Neon wondered if he should have a drink in hand when talking to the director, just to appear sophisticated. He decided against it, since the only drink he could make was elephant-dose vodka. Also, it wasn’t as if she could ever view him as sophisticated.

Neon ground his teeth as his mother appeared on the screen.

Seeing her made him recoil, only half out of surprise. Mrs. Kingsley was dressed in forceful black attire, as if she were in mourning. Her cheekbones were high-set, rimming eyes that glinted like crushed glass. Though aging, she remained as stylish as ever, her mature fashion marked by the purple scarf around her neck. Neon forced a smile onto his face.

His mother spoke, tugging at her hair to make herself appear more casual. “Director Flora Kingsley. How can I help you, son?”

She’d always had a gravitas to her personality too; though, this one was hard as stone. Neon had inherited her dramatic flair, and he used it to lean forward and counterattack as pleasantly as he could.

“Hello there, Mother,” Neon said, wiring the circuit to light up his face. “Just wondering how you’re doing?”

“Well, I’m happy to say that Chinese food is better in its place of birth. I’ll miss it once I leave.” Flora smirked. “That will be soon, since I’m almost done with the manufacturing deal. Just a few more agreements, and then I’ll be able to move on.”

“So you sold them on CrownTech technology?”

Flora crossed her arms. “Not completely. They’ve got the same reservations as everyone else: battery costs, not that I’m surprised. I’ve faced it for a while now, so I won’t lose easily.”

Neon nodded. It was like this every time he called; Mother was always working hard to make her family’s dreams come true. She’d gained a few wrinkles over the years, her voice growing wearier in speech. Neon knew that while CrownTech used such overambitious inventions, she wouldn’t be winning anytime soon.

“Hey, wanna see something cool?” He reached into his desk and pulled out a plastic circuitboard. “Check this out: I modified this frame so it can contain larger amounts of electricity. It even sorts them with thirteen percent more efficiency!”

He held it up, a proud glint in his eye. “This could be a resistor powerful enough to build the Launch-Box. I’ve even got a scale prototype somewhere- I might have left it at Michael’s house, but it works and I’ve shot at least six potatoes-”

“I thought I told you to focus on your studies.” Mrs. Kingsley’s features grew impossibly sharp.

“CrownTech is my study, Mom,” Neon insisted. “Look, if I got an internship, I could show you just what I can do when I apply myself."

She shook her head, frowning. Neon saw her hesitating, almost deliberating for a second; then her hard expression returned. Changing the topic, she studied him for a moment. “You seem well, Neon.”

The boy genius shrugged. “I’m a teenager whose parents aren’t home. Why wouldn’t I be ecstatic?”

“Well, it’s just that I received this a week ago.” Mrs. Kingsley held up a paper. Neon read the words at the top; Notice of Expulsion, they said.

His brain paled as his mother continued. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Just three people in the hospital, though? Seems like you weren’t applying yourself enough.”

Her gaze turned stony. “Neon. There’s nothing that you or I can say that will make this better. The fact of it is, you failed.”

The corner of Neon’s mouth twitched. “Failed?”

Flora didn’t hear him. “For all your smarts, they didn’t mean a thing once you’d decided you were better than everyone else, didn’t they? Then, you used your inventions, which I’d already told you to stop making, to beat them, and for what? For justice?”

Flora’s glare burned through Neon, beyond him and to his core. “You’re a genius, but you have never, once in your life, been a hero.”

She didn’t stop, even as Neon visibly shook, his fingers rattling on his desk. “There’s a school here in China that’s willing to take you. I know you learned Chinese a month ago, so you’re coming here for your junior year.

“Don’t argue with me, Neon.” Flora stalled his protests with a hand. “You threw away the right to think for yourself the moment you threw that punch.”

Neon shuddered in disbelief. “Threw it away…?” He grabbed the computer, shoving his face into the camera. “Are you kidding me? I didn’t throw away anything you didn’t take from me to begin with!”

Neon’s rage surged up, collapsing on itself and issuing forth. “I’ve had straight A’s for my entire life, credits for classes a decade above my age. If you just signed off on my papers, I could skip junior year. I could skip college!

“Look,” he said, his voice breaking, “You need me at CrownTech. And if you’d just let me apply, I could give the company actually new inventions!”

“We don’t need new inventions,” she snapped. “We’re still trying to manufacture the old ones.”

“I could do that!” Neon shouted, slamming his fist on the desk. “I could finish Dad’s machines! I can make them work!”

“I thought I made myself clear, Neon.” Flora Kingsley was absolute. “I’m not going to make sacrifices for a genius.”

“Ever again.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Goodbye, Neon.”

“You’re not going to sacrifice for a genius ever again!”

“Goodbye.”

The connection cut out, returning Neon to his home screen.

Neon screamed in frustration, storming out of the room. He burned into the empty bedroom, stomping on the floor, striking the wall, throwing himself on the bed; all of it had been empty for six years.

He lay face-down on the covers, breathing in rigid gasps, gritting his teeth and driving himself further into the darkness. It was her fault, all her fault, that he couldn’t take over the world. His father’s too, for disappearing, his last words to his family that they weren’t enough to suffice his genius. Neon roiled on the bed like the sea, lost and weeping.

“What the hell?” he murmured bleakly, letting the tears roll together in his eyes. “I told you to trust me! What kind of excuse-” He was suddenly gripped by a fit of sniffling, and the world soaked into a darkening blur. Neon felt his body collapsing, the stress of seven weeks piling into his flesh to slumber.

“Dad,” he whispered, letting his eyes dry shut. “I’m not enough…”

----------

Neon awoke at sunrise, pushing off of the bed to stare at the window blinds. His scarf lay on the bed beside him, a twisted river of scarlet.

He sat on the edge of the bed for a while, mired in twilight. At the moment, it didn’t matter what his mother thought of him, or where his father was, and why he had left. He was a bum with nowhere to go, but everything to lose. All Neon had were his friends. And he’d be damned if they were to be cast adrift any longer.

He stumbled a little as he made his way into the hall, wrapping his scarf around him. He walked downstairs, grabbing a potato off of the counter and eating it absentmindedly. He walked into the garage, a place of empty tables and burn marks. This had been the laboratory of his father - not his father anymore, the divorce had made sure of that. Neon strode in, determined to be enough to power his own freedom.

He walked over to the printer, which was already spitting out pages by his command. After his expulsion, Neon had stolen a record from the school, one that had been erased and scattered in the teacher’s database. On the front, a smiling, bearded man posed with a class on a field trip to the zoo, each one posing like an animal. Ryker Mauze had his arms thrown up in a comical bird pose, while Riley gave Emma bunny-ears. But it was the man at the front, roaring at the camera like a lion, that made Neon narrow his eyes, casting the file across the table.

He propped himself on his arms, leaning over the pages. “Alright, then,” he said, perusing the data spread before him. “Let’s see if I’ve been paying enough attention to you, Mr. Neil.”

The first thing I was aware of was myself. The heaviness in my eyelids and limbs and the pain throbbing through me, keeping to the rhythm of my heart. My muscles ached, protesting against my stillness. I blinked my eyes open. The lights were still off in the room, pale rays of early sunlight pushed through the window. I sat up, groaning a little at the pain that lanced through my body, and looked around. My mother sat in a chair at my bedside, head resting on her arm, fast asleep. I reached out to tap her on the shoulder. A soft snore rose from the floor. I paused. My mom never snored. The room seemed to shrink a little. I tried to ignore the creeping sensation in my chest, and glanced around the room. Me, my mom, the and I.V. and heart monitor on the other side of my bed. Other than my mom, it looked like I was alone. The snore rose again. I turned my head. The sound seemed to be coming from behind the chair. I craned my neck to peer over. There, lying on the floor against the wall was Cole. He was sprawled there awkwardly, as if someone had just thrown him there. I shook my head. How anyone could get comfortable on a linoleum floor was beyond me. I reached behind me, grabbed my pillow, and taking careful aim, tossed it. It sailed with perfect trajectory over my mother’s head and hit Cole with a soft but satisfying thump. He jerked awake as soon as it hit him and bolted up. The pillow was launched off his forehead and halfway across the room. His head swiveled around, eyes wide.
I whispered, “psst.” He turned toward the noise and froze, staring at me like I’d just come back from the dead, which all things considered might not be too far from the truth. I put a finger to my lips, nodding to my mother, still asleep in the chair. He gave her a fleeting glance, then slowly and silently picked himself up off the floor and crept over to sit on the side of my bed. He still didn’t say anything. I smiled awkwardly. What are you supposed to say to someone who’s watched you almost die? Good to be back?

“So…” I shrugged a little “I’m not dead…”

His response was a hug. My breath caught a little. My heart pounded in my ears. Blood rushed to my cheeks. The pain in my abdomen spiked from ten to twenty. I tapped his shoulder, and manages to wheeze “Stitch…es…”

He quickly pulled away, his arms still loosely around his shoulders. “Sorry.” The word came out an odd sort of half sigh. “I was just…” He smiled, but his eyes looked like they were about to cry. One of his hands began nervously fingering the ends of my hair. “You almost died.”

I swallowed. The pain had subsided to a hard pulse again, but my heart still pounded in my chest. “I’ll be fine. For now I’m just glad to be alive.” His hands slid from my shoulders and he clasped them in his lap. I picked at the sheets. “Thanks, by the way.” The feeling of his eyes on me made the dormant butterflies in my stomach rustle to life. “If you hadn’t been there…”

Cole nodded slowly. “I guess we should both remember this the next time I need money.” Suddenly I regretted no longer having access to anything throwable. I was saved from having to come up with a retort by a familiar voice gasping “Riley!”

I smiled. My mom had woken up. Cole stood back up and retreated back to the doorway. My mom was out of the chair and on the edge of the bed in less than two seconds. She swept me into her arms and clutched me to her. I could hear her racing heart racing where my head rested on her chest. “My baby girl…”

A selfish part of my mind reminded me that Cole was still standing there and had heard her call me that. The rest of me decided not to care. I hugged her back. Melted into her. Let my heartbeat merge with hers. “Mom…”

I wanted to say more. I wanted to introduce her to Cole. I wanted to tell her how many other bullets had been fired at me. I wanted to let her know every terrifying, every weird, every wonderful thing that had happened. I ached to pour it out in front of her.

But for now, that one word was all that seemed to matter.

Neil stared at himself in the rearview mirror, fixing his tie, adjusting his glasses. He licked his thumb and ran it across his eyebrows to smooth them down. Everything had to be perfect. He'd never been called in on an interview this big... this important.

Finally, he took a deep breath and got out of his Maserati. Well, not his exactly. A rental. But they didn't need to know that. He walked up to the glass doors of a shiny new laboratory, his polished shoes clicking against the freshly set pavement.

Inside, a man waited for him. Tall. Thin. Moussed brown hair slicked back, not a hair out of place. "You must be Neil Terek," he said. "My name is Liam Bishop. Welcome to my laboratory." He shook Neil's hand. A firm handshake, he noted. Then he was led into a small office.

"So, what kind of work are you doing currently?" he was asked as Liam sat down behind his desk.

"Actually, I'm between jobs at the moment," Neil told him honestly. "But I have been contracted by the government before and I have more than enough certifications and degrees to be qualified to work in your laboratory."

Liam smiled. "I have no doubt you're qualified. If I did, you wouldn't be sitting in my office. I have a special project in mind for you, but before I go into it any further, I just have one question for you. Have you ever considered teaching high school science?"

Neil was taken aback. Was this a joke? Was he trying to spite him? He couldn't remember the last time someone said something so insulting.

Neil sat up a little straighter in his chair. "Excuse me?" Liam started to speak, but was cut off. "If teaching kids how to make baking soda volcanos and potato clocks is all you think I'm capable of, then you're wasting your time, and mine."

Liam stared at him for a long moment. "Let's take a walk."

Neil was led through various labs and corridors as Liam explaining everything they had been working towards. Nanotech, DNA research, cancer studies, robotics. It all made Neil's head spin, but he kept a straight face. Liam couldn't know that he was impressed, not until Neil knew what was up his sleeve.

Finally, Liam led him into a laboratory at the very back of the building, secured by a keycard of the highest clearance level. He led him into a hallway with twelve doors along it, six to a wall. Liam turned the knob on the closest one and swung it open it reveal a small, empty room.

"What is this?" Neil asked. "What are you planning?"

Liam smiled. "Something that will change the world, and I need your help to do it. I will be acquiring some new technology, a diamond in the rough, but with your skills, I know you can bring it to its full potential. And if you agree, you will have more power and money than you ever thought possible."

A shiver ran down Neil's spine. More power and money than you ever thought possible..

"But before I acquire this technology, I would have another task for you. A simpler task," Liam told him. "I need you to find me test subjects. But not just anyone. I need you to find me subjects with a very specific set of criteria. I need you to study them, get to know them and choose carefully. The success of the experiment relies on it."

Neil swallowed hard. It was starting to make sense now. "You want me to teach at a high school. Pull the subjects from there."

Liam nodded. "You're smart, Neil. But don't think of it as being a teacher. Think of it as a cover. Think of it as becoming a spy to infiltrate and uncover untapped potential."

He stared at Liam, trying to take in everything he'd said. His head spun. Liam hadn't given him the details of the experiment yet, but that wasn't uncommon. Until someone is officially signed onto a project, they usually keep the details locked away. But he could already tell this was going to be big. Bigger than all of them. It was terrifying and exciting.

"So, I just have one thing to ask you," Liam said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Are you in?"

Neil smiled. "I'm in."

««••»»

Neil compiled a list of students. At first it was general, writing down any student he noticed to be physically strong or particularly smart. For the first year that he taught at Silver Creek High, he still was given little details on the experiment, so knowing exactly what kind of test subjects they were looking for was impossible.

A couple hundred kids made the list at first. But the more he learned about the experiment and the kids themselves, the more that list shrunk. Hundreds became a hundred. A hundred became seventy-five. Then fifty. Then thirty.

He watched two blonde sophomores sprint down the track, two of the fastest on their team.

He watched the redheaded quarterback win the biggest game of the year with a touchdown worthy of a pro.

A girl with braces and wavy brown hair, starting her own band with zero hesitation when most weren't even brave enough to preform in the annual talent show.

A boy with black hair and a crimson scarf so young he shouldn't have even stepped foot in a high school for another year, and yet had already become a junior as he scribbled equations across the board, a combination of calculus, trigonometry and latin. Too smart for his own good. Too smart for anyones good.

A tall kid with dark skin and a nose ring who was so strong the sharpness of his muscles cut through the thick material of the hoodies he always wore...

Most kids blurred into the crowd. In a school of over six hundred students, it was hard to stand out. But one by one, Neil found them. And by the time the chairs were in their final stages of development, he had his list narrowed down to just twelve. Stage 1: Complete.

Stage 2: Earn their trust, and make certain that he chose wisely.

An invitation-only A.P. Science Class. They all accepted.

Oliver Pascal didn't live up to his potential and dropped out.

Hannah Washington left Silver Creek High just before the second semester when her family moved away.

Ashton Cole took her place. Neil didn't have much time to assess him, but given he was related to Layla, he made an exception.

Everything was going according to plan, but over those three years at Silver Creek High, there was one thing Neil never anticipated.

He grew to care for his students.


Neil sat in a booth, the same booth he had come to the night M.E.L. went up in flames. But this time, there was no ally going to walk through those glass doors. His students were not at home, sleeping soundly in their beds. It was all wrong, and it was all his fault.

The neon sign of the old diner glowed red light down on Neil's old Subaru hatchback. The car he had owned for the last ten years. The car he was now living out of. It wasn't safe to go back to his apartment. It wasn't safe for him anywhere.

The events played through his mind over and over again as he tryed to figure out how everything went so wrong. He lost his job at Silver Creek High. His position at M.E.L. was obliterated along with the lab itself. He lost his students trust. His only ally turned out to be nothing but the enemy in disguise, and if he went to the organization behind the experiment, it could put himself in jeopardy. The fact he'd been in hiding for over a week could come across as suspicious, and if they found out he knew about the bombing before it happened, he could be charged as an accomplice.

But for now, only one thing mattered. Finding Cole and Riley.

His tired eyes scanned across a map of the city and various others papers around the table in which he had scribbled notes of anything and everything that could be relevant.
The Japanese had to be involved, right? Hiro was there. Even tricked Neil into leaving him alone with them. Why would he have bothered if he wasn't going to try something?

Neil rested his forehead on the palms of his hands, slowly drowning in a pool of hopelessness. They could be anywhere. Hell, they could be dead.

He sat in that booth for hours, having gotten there just after sunset, still there when it returned to the sky once again. So many cups of coffee to keep him awake that the waitress cut him off somewhere around five. Neil heard the 6am news come on, droning quietly in the background, but he didn't bother looking up.

"Good morning. I'm Dianna Winters and we're going to start the news this morning with the developing story of what is said to involve a drive-by shooting and a local girl by the name of Riley West--"

Neil's head shot up. "Hey, turn that up!" The waitress begrudgingly obliged.

"Around 6PM last night at the cross-streets of Dunkirk and Jewell, the fifteen-year-old student of Silver Creek High was rushed to the Porter Hospital after receiving a gunshot wound to the stomach," the newscaster continued. "The seriousness of the injury is still unknown, and the shooter has not been identified."

Neil gritted his teeth. "Hiro." He knew it. He slapped a twenty down on the table and fled out of the dinner.

When he got to the hospital, he sat in the parking lot and waited. He noted whenever he saw one of his students go in or out of the entrance. By noon, all nine of them, excluding Riley, had been seen. Alive.

With that knowledge, Neil knew what he had to do. Those kids needed to be protected, and he couldn't do it on his own. And the day everything fell apart was when the experiment fell apart. F.U.S.E. didn't know about the threat Dr. Liam had bestowed upon him, nor did they know he was there when M.E.L. was bombed. He wasn't ready to give up on the experiment, and if he could get F.U.S.E.'s support, he would be back on top, and the power he'd craved for the last three years would once again be in reach.


The cold January sun gleamed off of the shiny white quartz. Big glass windows, rich dark woods, the building constructed in a boxy, modern style. The big F.U.S.E. logo lit up on the building's exterior. It had been a while since Neil had been there, and he couldn't be certain if walking through the front doors would be a mistake or not. But he knew the alternative would be giving up, and that wasn't something he was prepared to do.

The receptionist bugged her eyes out the moment she saw him. Her face drained of color, as if she'd seen a ghost. Around there, it probably was like seeing a ghost.

The director of F.U.S.E. was alerted immediately and Neil was in his penthouse office within minutes. When he saw Neil, he smiled. "Well, I'll be damned. The rumors were true. You're alive."

Neil nodded. "It's good to see you again Mr. Sterling."

"Please, call me Jay." The director took him in for a moment. "Where have you been all this time, Neil?"

"I had to lay low for a little while. Those who bombed the lab knew I worked there. They were after me." Neil's voice quieted. "I'm free of them now."

"Well, please. Have a seat." Jay presented his hand to the empty white chair in front of his desk, then poured water into a crystal glass from a stainless steel pitcher and set it in front of Neil. "What made you decide to come back now?"

Neil sat in the chair before him. "Three reasons. I have information, I have a request, and I have a proposition. First, I know you've been looking for the subjects ever since the bombing. I can tell you all of their names, where they live, and where they are at this exact moment. Secondly, those who bombed the lab are out for their heads and those kids are in need of protection. My request is that you make it a priority to protect them."

Jay pondered his words for a moment. "And what's your proposition?"

"No one knows the experiment better than I do. I believe it would have been a success if the Japanese hadn't interfered." Neil looked Jay dead in the eye. "I want to recreate the experiment with me as the head scientist. I have everything we need to recreate the chairs and the serum. I know how badly you need the information on the first subjects, but it will stay with me unless you agree to both of my terms. So, I just have one thing to ask you." Neil leaned forward in his chair. "Are you in?"

Jay smiled. "I'm in."