Young Writers Society

*I forgot to mention Kyr's eye color. It's an eerie electric blue, shot through with silver sparks. Whenever he uses his powers the sparks expand turning the whole iris silver.*

Kyran(Kyr): The Shed-

Damnit. Kyr hated having to run away. His hands curled into white knuckled fists as he watched the others move around him. They were leaving again, and just when he'd gotten used to the place too. Absently Kyr noted the pebbles shivering on the ground around him. Kyr took a deep breath and shoved the anger down, this building wasn't exactly safe. If he lost it, it would fold like a house of cards.

Crouching down he grabbed his backpack and shoved the things he absolutely needed in it. A few changes of clothes, some cash, emergency food and a bottle of water, a cheap throw away cell phone, and his notebooks filled with page after page of information on the abilities and clues he'd stumbled across in the search for his family.

He glanced up as he heard the last boards tear free and glanced around at the others. His voice calm, like the eye of the storm. "We're more vulnerable if we stick together. Where do we meet if we get split up?"

They glanced around at each other uncertainly and than Nick spoke up. "How about that old warehouse. You know, the one that got shut down a few years back in that police investigation."

*Kyr's abilities are keyed to specific emotions.
Earth is anger
Ice is fear
Water is sorrow
Wind is joy
Lightning used to be bound to a mixture of the emotions. But now Kyr can control it at will.*

Mikael - R & D Ofice

I meandered away from Sally and over to the ever unreliable coffee machine. I placed a cup underneath and was greeted with a familiar gurgle. A sharp kick to the bottom left corner soon remedied that and the machine produced to steaming hot cups of coffee.
With those two on it those kids won't know what hit them, i thought. No, not kids, i repremanded myself, subjects. AT least thats what they called them. The Ice Queen and Mr Serious, sat in their cushy car.
"Here you go Sal," i grinned, handing her a coffe and collapsing onto my seat. "Hows it going?"
"Stent and Bishop are just moving in. You want to watch the show?" She asked turning her screen towards me.
"Sure," i sat back and watched. As they got closer the subjects semed to group together, almost as if they had felt their impending doom approaching.
"Their huddling, should we put a call through?" I asked.
"Bishop said no contact unless we have a runner." Sally replied calmly.
The two figures reached the subjects shed and produced two barrels with hoses affixed.
"Chlorophorm," i grinned. "Classic Stent capture."
"What are you smiling at?" Asked Sally bemused.
"Greg on floor two owes me 20 quid. I told him Chlorophorm but he was sure they'd run and we'd need grouped tranquilisers."
"You worry me sometimes Mikey." She laughed. "You got any music on the system?"
"Personal audio is not to be stored on the system," I replied face blank.
"Mikey?"
"Oh alright then." After a bit of folder hunting i found a few choice tracks and put them on. Weezers Beverly Hills blasted out of the PC.
"Ah!" I yelled and both Sally and I dived for the volume dial, turning it down before realising our hands were over each others. She recoiled and returned to her screen.
"Mission is a go. We have positive on CHCl3 release."

Fatima | Some rooms in the Compound

I wasn't with Sally or Mikael nor was I riding in the plush Mercedes-Benz with Alison and Adrian. We didn't always quite get along and today was just one of those days. Also, I was waiting in the rooms where, if (when!) the teenagers were captured, would stay. I was deemed the one best suited to deal with the first days of them when questions would be attacked at us (or myself, in this case) like darts. The rooms were well-furnished but I knew all too well that if any of the teenagers misbehaved or did something drastic and didn't listen, these lovely furnishings would be reviewed and then they'd see the true, ugly nature of this room: gray, gray walls and a gray cement floor. The beds were merely covered in fancy cloths to hide the rusting bedposts and the side-tables were only neatly painted pieces of plywood.

I truly couldn't wait for one of them to misbehave so we could really get down to business. But first impressions are everything, right?


Innocence | The Shed

I was pleased with Lotta-- her idea had been pure genius but I was also just as angry with myself that I hadn't thought of it first. I wanted to take credit for our great escape from the black car and clearly I hadn't. However, I temporarily pushed away my anger and we all agreed to meet at the old warehouse like Kyr suggested. We paired up as well, or, rather, found a small group. I was with Ashley and Lotta.

We departed immediately, running across the grassy hill, which was still dewy so I had to call out the occasional, "Mind your step!" It seemed we were ahead of everyone, and the car was nowhere in sight. Maybe they'd left, maybe they hadn't been looking for us. I was full of hope and I could tell that Ashley and Lotta were, too.

Running, running...and then...I fell into someone. Someone taller than I, stronger than I. And he wasn't Kyran or Nick or any of the others.

There was also a black car behind him, a woman's face peeking out behind tinted windows. We'd been caught.

Nick: Outside the Shed,

When we finally manage to make a hole big enough for all of us to pass through, we run as fast as we can, away from the car, towards the warehouse. I even allow myself to smile, thinking that we've gotten away, yet again, that we still have a chance in this harsh world. But, as tends to happens when one thinks that kind of thing, it's not true. Just as I smile, I lose my footing and my bearing, and trip, pitching forwards. A strong hands grabs me and keeps me from hitting the ground. I'm about to say thank you when I realize that it's not one of us, not Kyr or any of the others. This person moves differently, that much I can hear, and he smells strange. He's holding another, Innocence by the sounds of it, and she is struggling hard. I start trying to twist out of the man's grip, but he only holds on tighter, so I relax and try to focus my mind. I focus on the space behind the man, and, quite suddenly, he is holding...nothing. I stand behind him as he looks around, almost comically. As he does, I click my tongue quietly to judge his size and distance from me, and then I punch him in the back of the head. He grunts, but does not fall.

"You little bast-" He begins to say, reaching for me, but I teleport again, this time next to the arm holding Innocence.

"Ah-ah," I say, "Watch your language! There are youngsters about!" Then I punch his elbow as hard as I can, but he doesn't release Innocence. Instead, his other hand reaches around, and grabs me by the hair.

Mikael - R & D Ofice

The subjects scattered and one was quickly grabbed by Mr Serious himself.
Wow actually dirtying his own hands for a change, i thought idly.
Suddenly one of the heat images flashed across the screen and mingled with Dr Stent.
"Jesus Christ!" I exclaimed. "Sally did you see that? That thing is fast!"
"Forget fast, i think one of the subjects can teleport!" She sounded shocked. The mingled heat signatures moved quickly.
"Are they ... uh oh. I think their fighting!" I grabbed the headset and hit speed dial 2. "Alpha Team we have contact. Immediate orders to deploy. Capture and contain, deadly force is not, i repeat not to be used."
Somewhere out the city, a non descript white van would be speeding down the road. Inside the Salacin Corps Alpha Security Team would be gearing up to capture the subjects and secure the doctors. A moment later and Stent had one in a head lock and seemed to be holding another by the hair.
Not bad, i thought. I could still take him though, i smirked. At the edge of the screen a perimeter of signatures were materialising. Alpha Team. The subjects didn't stand a chance. I sat back to see how this unfold now.

Lotta:

A tall man caught Innocence in a headlock and then held Nick by his hair. No I thought to myself. Quietly, I crept up behind the man and grabbed him by the arm holding innocence and placed my other hand in between his shoulder blades, pushing on his back and tearing his arm away from innocence. Still holding Nick, he began to turn, and I conjured up a vision, ducking just before his hand made contact with my face.

Mockingly, I said, "I saw that coming."

With a smirk, I got into a position to fight him. No way I was backing down from this. I gave myself over completely to my visions, anticipating every swing and every kick he threw at me. Nick flashed out of his hands and he began to look around for him, but I got has attention back by kicking him in the gut. He didn't topple, didn't so much as flinch, but I could see the anger building up in his eyes.

I couldn't help but laugh at him as he leapt at me and I took a single sidestep away from him, just enough to get out of range, and I taunted, "I knew you'd do that, too. You're seriously just beating yourself! Are you even trying!?"

Chimere

Quick, get down! Denise ordered as I complied, dodging a man who had meant to grab me from behind. I immediately threw my fist up, straight into his nads. He groaned and his hands dropped to his crotch. I yanked him down and squeezed the pressure point on his neck until he was out.

Okay! Now... I showed her exactly what I was seeing, and watched with pride as she fought, the men around her dropping like flies. She was so focused on fighting her battles, she didn't realize when I really was grabbed from behind. I thought to the man, Maybe I should let her go. For a moment, his hands loosened, but he grabbed me again, tighter, when I tried to run.

"That's not working on me," he grunted, and a feeling of dread washed over me. This meant if Denise was caught, she wouldn't be able to escape either.

"Denise!" I shrieked, forgetting all common sense.

"Huh?" she looked over, dropping her guard. A second later, her hands were behind her back, held by the wrists.

I am an idiot.

Dr. Stent -- Outside the shed

The blind subject could "teleport". Seemingly at will he was able to rearrange the delicate structure of his body and transport the exact quantum state of his being to a different part of space. The mathematics behind it would be stunning, he was sure.

It was truly fascinating.

For once, Adrian was not aware of his surroundings or indeed the entirety of the situation that unfolded around him. The subjects fought fiercely but they lacked the finesse taught by years of practice. Adrian rarely fought real people, but the moves he'd learned from countless textbooks seemed to come naturally to him, for now.

Truly fascinating.

He had almost cursed at one of them. He was shocked, or as close to that emotion as his scientific heart could reach. It wasn't like him at all -- he rarely let emotion cloud his judgement, let alone dicate his actions, and he inwardly vowed that he would not let it happen again.

The plan was a failure, of course. As with all things that he did not have personal control over, it had been unreliable and doomed from the start. Surprising, really, as Dr. Bishop was usually better than that. They had barely reached the shed before the subjects had broken out -- escaping through a hole in the wall by the looks of it -- and as such any hope of subduing them was lost. It was a pity, but Adrian remained undeterred.

"I knew you'd do that, too. You're seriously just beating yourself! Are you even trying!?"

Adrian refocused his mind on the present. A girl, probably mid-teens with plaited blonde hair smirked as she sidestepped his ill-concieved lunge. She was a reasonable fighter, in fact quite good for her age, but there was something more to her that Adrian was interested in. He decided to test his theory.

Adrian face the girl, breathing deeply and slowly as he adopted a defensive stance. The cavalry was coming, no doubt -- Dr. Eisenstein would have been watching the video-feed (instead of the work he had been set, of course) and alerted the nearest team as soon as the subjects panicked. It was time to play it safe. The girl looked confused.

"So now you're not gonna try at all?" she asked, her voice cruel and goading. Adrian did not react. "Come on," she tried again. "Or are you too scared?"

Again, Adrian did not react. He believed he was correct: the girl could predict his movements -- that was how she had outmatched him earlier. But if he faced her and refused to make the first move then her strange ability was no use. He played for time -- hopefully Dr. Bishop was busy redeeming herself by subduing the other subjects.

"What now?" he asked, his voice calm and deliberate. "It's only a matter of time before we trap you. How far ahead can you see?"

From somewhere nearby Dr. Stent heard the familiar sound of a van approaching. About time too.

*As most of you have probably already figured out, Kyr's ability is powerful but highly volatile. In a mass fight it's all to easy for him to hurt friend as well as foe.*

Kyran -- Outside The Shed:

His friends were fighting for there lives and Kyr couldn't do a damn thing. Rage surged through him and his lip curled in a snarl. Kyr wrapped his arms around his stomach biting his lip as the earth flexed beneath him. The tremor was so slight no one else noticed it in the heat of the moment.

Then he saw the woman, she was shouting at the soldiers that had appeared, her eyes shining with unholy glee. Kyr knew those eyes. His mother had worn that same look on her face whenever she had hurt him. That quickly the anger inside him turned to fear. Cold, hard, relentless.

Kyr's breath misted in the sudden chill. Ice spreading out from him in a wave, freezing the soft dewy grass into cutting blades of ice. The man Lotta had been fighting slipped on the suddenly icy ground, landing on his butt. With a moment to breath Lotta glanced over at him and then looked around frantically, shouting. "Nick! Kyr's losing it we need to get him out of here.

Nick: Outside the Shed,

The hand holding my hair is gripping so tightly, and is causing so much pain, that I can barely concentrate on my power. As I teleport, I can tell that I wasn't specific enough. Some of the skin on the man's hand, which had been holding me, has come with. Disgusted, I shake my head, trying to get it out of my hair. Behind me, I hear a yell of pain from the man. To my side I hear Lotta scream, "Nick! Kyr's losing it...We need to get him out of here!"

I whirl around, trying to locate Kyr amongst my other friends and the numerous men that seemingly have appeared out of nowhere to grab us. I teleport several times, avoiding the men, and finally, I locate Kyr. He is almost vibrating with the tension of his power, and I can tell that he's gonna break soon. I flash to his side, popping up right next to him, and grab his arm. I think about the abandoned warehouse, concentrating with all of my might on getting Kyr and me there. I grit my teeth.

"Hold on tight," I say to Kyr, "And try not to vomit."

Innocence | Outside the Shed

Everyone was in different states in the battle.There was Nick and Lotta, pretty much free of these awful mysterious people, racing toward Kyr who seemed about ready to explode. There was Chimere and Denise, being held captives almost. Perhaps sometimes their mind-reading wasn't all that successful.

I'd obviously noticed all of us using our abilities but we weren't using them well. We were throwing everything we had right out onto the playing field and by the looks of the man and the woman, they were extremely smart. The man seemed to appear a little too exact, too serious, too professional and I was scared of that. Who knew what went on in his mind? Who knew...

And then it hit me. Maybe fighting these people with violence wasn't the answer, perhaps it was all about getting into their head...

I slunk close to the grassy ground and slid slowly around to a weak little tree that would be just enough to cover me. Once behind it, I made sure I was close enough the man and then I took the chance when he was distracted. I pushed through his head, finding a desolate place. It was like a plain, plain white room, lacking in colour and it was cold. Chilly. Far too lonesome. I shivered inwardly but continued forward. I then reached that spot, the special spot where it seemed all, or most, memories were and like that I sucked in their information.

I discovered everything I wanted and needed to know about this man. He was named Adrian Stent-- a name that simply oozed academic achievement and arrogance and an introvert, stiff personality. There was little that seemed to have bothered him in his past, being one so immune to any emotion. But then, I found what I needed. Something about missing out on some Nobel Prize and despite how indifferent his memory appeared to be, I could sense that Adrian's loss of it was heartbreaking for him. He regarded it as a stunt in his academic career. And it was all I needed.

Stepping out into the open, ignorant of everything going on around me, I moved closer to Adrian. I was assuring my steps were loud and crunching and when he turned I couldn't help but let my lips twist into a malicious smile. The fun was going to start any moment now.

I let the words spin out like organized chaos, bent on tearing apart this man bit by bit. "I do wonder why on earth you didn't get the good ol' Nobel Prize. Hum."

And Adrian turned more my way, eyebrows raised. "What?"

"But then, they must have been right not to ward the Prize to you. Fate has its evil ways, huh?"

His new expression pushed me. This was fun.

Sally ¦ R & D Office

"They're still fighting," Mikael said grimly.
"It's fine, they'll get them," I said staring at the computer screen. "As far as I can tell they are all using abilities but they don't really know the extent of them yet. Plus they're not communicating with each other."

Mikael leaned across me and tapped a few keys on my computer. I suddenly became very aware of his slow and sure breathing before he moved back. I shook my head and re-focused on the screen which had zoomed in.

"No, look. They are communicating, the teleporter is moving to help one of the others. And... Holy crap! He just teleported with the other person!" Mikael practically shouted. "Is that even possible?"

I laughed lightly. "Yes, perfectly possibly but this is precisely why we need to capture them and find out what else they can do." My tone went more severe.

"Look, reinforcements are here," Mikael said pointing across me at the screen as the white van skidded to a halt by the battle and men jumped out.

"Good," I said smiling again.

Rudy
Thirty minutes from the shed
In an unguarded garden

Rodney and I slunk around in the garden, picking out whatever was ripe enough for us to have as dinner for tonight. Both of us were very picky of our food, so we often had to ask whether or not what we pick is right for us to have without any agruement. All we could agree on is carrots, watermelons, cucumbers, radishes, and squash. None of us were good cooks, but we needed what we got to keep us alive. Rodney asked me, "Do you think this will be enough to last us until tomorrow's breakfast, Anubis?"
I answered, "I hope so, Julius. We have enough to last that long. I think we better head off while we still have time." We went to our lair- an old house where we stashed our food and took shelter for the night. Our dinner was squash stew and cucumber-watermelon salad. It was all we could make with what we got. After we cleaned our dishes, Rodney went to sleep on the couch while I slept on the floor. As twins, we wanted to stick together. That was our privledge as twins.

Kyran -- The Warehouse:

Kyr's vision flashed black as Nick teleported them away from the fight. As soon as that woman was no where near him he relaxed, the fear quickly lowering to managable levels. Kyr's emotions were like flashfire, quick to ignite but also quick to fade away.

Away from the intense battle field Kyr found the calm that allowed him to function in terrible situations. He stood, patting Nick on the shoulder with a murmured "Thanks man." as he moved beneath the large hole in the warehouse. Kyr glanced up through the hole at the sky, and grinned. The look on his face was decidedly predatory.

Above him the early morning sky had darkened with roiling clouds, as if sensing Kyr's intentions and the turmoil of his emotions. Reaching upwards Kyr fisted his hands and reached for the only element he could control. Sending bolts of blue-white lightning arcing into the sky. The hilltop their shed sat on was the highest point in the neighborhood, an ideal lighting rod. Kyr may not have been able to help up close, but from a distance Kyr thought he could cause enough chaos to let his friends escape. After all his friends knew what to expect when he got ticked, Kyr had the feeling their attackers didn't.

Cracks of thunder boomed through the warehouse and Nick covered his ears, grinning as he caught on to Kyr's plan. His voice was thick with sarcasm as he shouted over the noise. "Today's forecast. Arrogant jerks who attack defenceless kids should be advised to watch out for random lightning strikes."

Kyr laughed at the joke but missed the prescence of more attackers in the warehouse. They had done their homework well and planted a team at the kids nearest safehouse in case some of them got away. Nick jerked as one of them punched a needle in the back of his neck, the sedative was in his system before he could teleport away.

Swearing Kyr took a step towards his younger friend only to feel a needle enter his own neck. The world spun rapidly around him as Kyr's legs buckled and he collapsed.

Nick: The Warehouse,

I grin, sensing that Kyr is trying to help the rest of the group escape.

"Today's forecast: Arrogant jerks who attack defenseless kids should be advised to watch out for random lightning strikes," I shout, my voice heavy with sarcasm, as Kyr calls down lightning on the Shed.
I'm about to teleport back to the hill and get out the rest of them when I feel something sharp press into my neck. Before I can even think about teleporting away, the sedative in the needle does its thing, and I crumple. I'm still conscious, but I seem to have lost control of movement, as well as my power. My ears still seem to work, so I can hear someone punching a needle into Kyr's neck as well, and he collapses right next to me. I feel someone picking me up, sliding their arms under my armpits and lifting, and I think that another person is lifting Kyr in the same manner. They drag us to a van, and strap us to tables inside, before slipping bags over our heads. In spite of myself, I grin inwardly. They don't seem to realize that I'm blind, and they haven't put in earplugs, so if they talk, I'll be able to hear everything.

The van rumbles to life, and pulls out of the lot behind the warehouse. It pulls onto a road, taking us who-knows-where, and I listen to the soldiers who are sitting in the back with us.

"So what does Salacin want with these kids, anyway?" One of the soldiers asks. Salacin? Never heard of that.

"I dunno...research, I think. I just do what I'm told; doesn't do to ask questions," the other soldier replies, and I can sense his shudder from here.

"They're weird though, ain't they? Just appearing out of nowhere like that...and I could have sworn that the bigger one was doing something to the weather..." The first guard shudders as well, and they both fall silent.

Well. At least I know something. We are apparently going to someplace called "Salacin," which doesn't sound like a town, and, judging by the guards' conversation, is probably some sort of company. None of which bodes well.