The Cornerstone

[Starless::Night]

(The sequel to Futuristic Heroes RP)

Standing on the edge of the thirty foot drop, the young woman stared out at the endless expanse of crystal blue water below. Its placid surface reflecting the sun’s blinding white rays further out, while the sound of crashing waves at the cliff’s base and at the beach a short distance away singing a hidden melody to her ears. What does this all mean, even after all of these years, that voice won’t leave me alone. Am I really crazy?

Blinking, her sapphire eyes broke their intense focus from the water’s surface, the spots filling her vision as she moved to look around. Raising her arms above her head, she stretched, letting out a long relaxed sigh as her arms came to rest at her sides again. She was just about to turn around when something caught her eye. Looking once more over the surface of the water, her eyes widened when she saw a figure swimming. She hadn’t thought that anyone else lived anywhere near this area of the beach, which had been something she’d wanted when moving here.

Looking at the figure longer, the young woman suddenly realized that they were swimming into the riptide. At this time of the year, the riptide was dangerous, to even the most skilled of swimmers. Fearful this person didn’t know what they were getting into, she slid off her lacy white flats and dove expertly off the cliff.


A young man stood in a vast garden, the flowers and wildlife frozen in the grips of time. He stood motionless, almost stuck along with the rest of the scenery, until his body moved gracefully around to face something behind him. When his emerald eyes came to rest on the figures of a young woman and a boy, his expression became perplexed. The two strange figures stood, watching him with sad and longing expressions. He knew who they were in a sense, having seen them many times before, but he didn’t know who they were, or where they had come from. The woman had shoulder length blonde hair, the colour of the sun, her dark brown eyes sticking out in contrast. The child had blue eyes, with black hair that almost hid his face. Both wore the same elegant attire, white silk and lace covering almost every inch of their skin. The young man was about to speak, when the ghostlike woman opened her mouth.

“You must help us, we cannot survive without your aid. The others have already been called. With the help of our deities, you can save them, all of them, but you must save us too. You’re the cornerstone, without you, everything will fall apart. Please, help us.” Just before he could even think of questioning them, their bodies began to fade, leaving the youth standing in the garden.

His emerald eyes shot open, staring at the shadowed ceiling above him. Groaning at the memory of the dream, he turned to his side, and closed his eyes. He had no idea what time it was, but waking from that dream, he realized that it felt as though he hadn’t slept at all. Why do I keep having this dream? What is my mind trying to tell me?

[||Megs||]

He could tell that she was near, even though his eyes were closed and the music pulsed the air around him. Bodies brushed by him, swaying to the energetic beat. Right now there wasn't anything to worry about, nothing to scurry after...it was just him and his wife, Aurora. And, of course, everyone at his friend's celebration party. Gerald was a party freak, and threw parties as a lifestyle. And even though Raz and Aurora had married two years ago, Gerald found it his duty to throw the best anniversary party of all time. And Razziel had to admit, it was the best by far...except for a few things that managed to wriggle into his peaceful mind.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, warm and comforting. Finally Raz opened his eyes, smiling warmly at his beautiful wife. She smiled back, wrapping her arms around him as a slow song slid on.

"I know you miss them...but we are a galaxy away, Raz." she said into his ear as she laid her head on his shoulder. Raz knew she was right, but guilt still poked at his gut. Three years ago he had decided to get away from everything with Aurora, to get his head straight. It had taken nearly every bit of money he possessed of his inheritance to get them on the three-year-round-trip cruise. He decided that, if he was to get away for a while, it would be in an entirely different solar system.
And it had worked wonders, and they had met so many people on this trip. Most of them were there to be transported to his home solar system, but others were here for the same reason; to get their heads straight, to try and change themselves away from the eyes of their friends and loved ones. However, Raz had brought his loved one, and knew it had been well worth it.
The wedding had taken place on this very ship, an amazingly rare thing for such a spectacular cruise. When the song ended, Aurora pulled back to look up into Raz's stunning eyes. Aurora's features had matured, yes, but she still looked the same--her long silvery-white hair, glistening adventurous eyes...

"I'm sure they will understand. But I do wonder what they are up to...when we get close enough, we should send them a message." Raz nodded, thinking that would be enough to ease some of his sticky guilt. After all, they had all been through a lot...in particular, Meive and Lila.

"We will be back into our solar system late tonight...or morning, I have lost track." chuckled Raz, pulling his wife close again, even though speedy music was twining around the dancers again. As they dwindled in their own little world, Raz couldn't help but wonder why, after everything that had happened, things were so peaceful.


Later that 'night' (the space ship had a database so that one could check the time of their planet, but no one really bothered), Raz had the dream...again. It became apparent that Aurora had, too, for they both woke up at the same time. They lay across from each other, looking without speaking. Their eyes said it all...the peace they had suspected to be too light had been, after all, taken for granted.

=======================================

"My friends--first of all, I apologize for my lack of explanation in that message I sent you all three years ago,"
Raz's voice said in her ear as Kita poked at the small message machine, clipping the portable device to her left ear.

"Yeah, no kidding," the Bastet murmured. 'I will be gone with Aurora for a while' just didn't cut it. Not really. But who was she to pry? Kita sighed softly as she tried to get more comfortable on the small couch, closing her eyes again. As much as she liked to hear from Raz and Aurora again, she had another hour of 'relaxation' before she had to run off to work.

"I took Aurora and myself on a cruise to the Pegasus galaxy--which is quite nice--and in that time, we got married. Yesterday was our second anniversary." Kita found herself smiling, but the news wasn't all that bouncy. It had been coming, after all. All she could say was--it was about time! Now, things would be perfect if Lila and Meive hooked up more, and Aeya and Mikke... "It has been nice to set aside this time to work some things out...and again, I apologize. We all need to meet somewhere and catch up. And...discuss the dream all of us have most likely have been sharing."

Kita's eyes opened up at this, and she slowly sat up. That's right...that dang, persistent dream that snatched away her precious cat-naps! "Our cruise ship docks at Earth in New York in two days...if you would all like to meet up at the Fan-Fan Cafe that would be great. See you all later," and the message ended. His voice had sounded excited; even though they most likely had another mystery pulling them into tangled webs, it would be exciting to see each other, and see what life has done to them all. Speaking of life, Kita realized she had read her digital wrist-watch wrong. She still needed to stop by and see if Nolan was wanting to help her today. She hurriedly unclipped the small machine from her ear and ran out the door, which closed automatically behind her with a soft, rejected mechanical sigh.

=======================================

Durve, her father...and Zidane, her supposed brother, stood before her as smoky memories. Lila remembered it so well--how Kita, Nolan and Unity had been able to find Zidane and distract him long enough so that his shadow powers lost their effect on those whom he had cast it on. And then the explosion...they would have all been killed if Nolan had not transported them out. But Zidane had died, supposedly, along with many of the people in the building. After the devastation, Durve and his renegades just simply vanished, along with the Zen-E5 Space Station. Like all the zillion times before, Lila wondered who had planted the smart bombs in the base...

"Captain Rae?" a voice asked softly, and Lila blinked back into the current reality. She straighted up from her slumped position over her desk, and smiled at the nervous boy who addressed her.

"Yes, Mat?"

"The repairs are nearly finished, and...you received a message a few minutes ago, and I transferred it to your communicae." the ashen-haired boy said, still soft in tone. He was obviously nervous, wiggling his fingers and kneading at his hands.

"Oh! I was so lost in thought that I didn't even hear the transfer," Lila chuckled, then nodded at the boy. "Thank you, Mat. Why don't you go have fun at the arcades until we are ready to take off again?" The boy looked up, startled. But he smiled, turned on his heel, and ran out with an excited spring in his step. Lila sighed thoughtfully, gently grabbing up a lock of her long, curly black hair. For some reason, most of the crew acted nervous and shy around her. She had asked her co-captain, Aloru, why this was so. She wasn't mean, she was fair, and kind...

"Don't take this too personally, because I know you have a boyfriend but--you are hot, very attractive, Lila. You wouldn't believe how many of your crew members are attracted to you." the Bastet, as honest as ever, had told her. Since then, Lila had been tempted to just cut her hair off and go for a plain, simple style. But despite any attraction toward her, things got done and no one seemed to get distracted. Plus, she was pretty certain that Meive would rather not have her loose it. Meive...she had seen him last about half a year ago. In two days she would be able to go see him again, once she was off for a nice long break and Aloru took her place for a while. With that happy thought in mind, she tapped her wrist. Automatically a voice played inside her mind, and she was surprised to hear that it was Razziel!

During the first part of the message she smiled, very pleased that he had finally married Aurora. But when it came to the dream part, she felt her amused attention sharpening. So, she obviously hadn't been the only one...so maybe they were all having it? Hmm. When Raz suggested they all meet, Lila was happy to note she would be able to make it. As the message ended, she stood up and stretched her arms.

Well, it seemed like the band was about to get back together again! Even if it did mean they had to go about saving something again, at least they could be together.

=======================================

"MIKKE LIDIOOOO! YOU HAVE A MESSAGE!"

The ghost-like images of the woman and boy dissipated rapidly as Mikke jolted up off of his bed, electricity crackling at his fingers and wing feathers as he landed in a crouched position on his tangled bed sheets and blankets, eyes wide and wild as he rapidly looked around. His expression fell into a steady, sleepy glare as his sister, One, hovered next to his bed, her small arms wrapped around her stomach as she laughed to her heart's desire. She swiped her blond hair away from her face as she caught her breath, smiling from ear-to-ear. Mikke let his glare melt as he smiled tiredly, plopping down on his back.

He couldn't get himself to be mad at her for long...especially since their parents had died a couple of years ago. As long as One's 'fun' stayed within a manageable field, Mikke was willing to let her get away with it. Even though he had to play as both adult and brother, they got along well. Mikke had a good job at a power plant, a very good place to get rid of all his electrical energy that never seemed to leave him alone. One faired well on her own when he was out, always telling him where she was going.

And the fun part was that she could not lie to him about anything. Her power was light, along with 'truth'. She could tell if a person was lying, no matter how well they bluffed. But as a backdrop, One could not lie. And now, as the small and delicate fourteen-year-old came to plop into a sitting position onto his chest, she observed him with a quizzical eye.

"You were having that dream again, huh?"

"Nope," Mikke chuckled, having fun, as always. One remained serious, though.

"You liar, Mikke!" One Lidio accused, poking at Mikke's bare chest with a dainty finger, her wings settling down behind her from their fanned position. "Why do you keep having those dreams?"

"I honestly don't know," Mikke replied, wanting to poke One back, but not wanting to shock her.” Now, what about a message?"

"Oh yeah!" the girl giggled, flitting off of him and running out of the room. Mikke stayed where he was for a minute, then rolled off the bed, reaching for a clean shirt he had left by his bed earlier. He was shrugging it on while he stood up when One came back, lightly flapping her wings to lift up and attach the device to his ear. Like any young Avian, she used whatever excuse she could to use her wings. As she hovered up to the ceiling, Mikke slowly sat back down as he listened to Raz's message. The dream? He wasn't the only one? Thank goodness...

"Is it from Aaaaaaaaaaeya?" One asked, hanging up-side down in front of him, her timing miraculous as the message had just ended. Taking the ear device off and tossing it onto the messed-up bed, Mikke couldn't help but smile at her.

"No, it was from Raz. Didn't you just call Aeya not too long ago?"

"More like three weeks ago, Mikkey. We've been kinda busy, remember?"

Right...they had had to move to a more secluded area. Mikke didn't trust One alone in the house five hours a day in their old home, where gangsters seemed to be overpopulating the town. He hated to leave the town he and Aeya had both grown up in, but he had a child to care for, and had to do what was best for her.

"You haven't officially met though, since you were in your coma. But how would you like to? Razziel wants us to meet him and Aurora at the Fan-Fan Cafe in New York." Mikke was barely able to get that sentence out of his mouth when One erupted out into a spout of cheers, doing flips in the air. Mikke chuckled and retrieved the small communicae, setting it back on his ear and walking back out of the room. His heart was hopeful...not only would he be able to see his old friends again, but the girl he had had a crush on ever since he had set eyes on her. Aeya.

[Starless::Night]

(Sorry for the really long post. XD I thought it was needed for our characters as well as for the plot.)

“Come ooooooon! You’re walking too slow, we’re going to miss it!” The high pitched complain echoed in his ears for a few seconds before he made his move. Quickly approaching the source of the annoying voice, he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other went straight for her mouth. It was an interesting embrace, any onlookers would be puzzled as to whether or not this young couple were actually together or fighting.

Her body quickly relaxed in his grip, a smile spreading across her covered lips, which she knew he felt. They remained standing like that a few minutes longer before his arms loosened enough for her to turn around. Looking up at the young man behind her, she let her amethyst eyes take in his appearance. His dark forest green hair was pulled back, high on his head, shorter layers cradling his face, as his teal eyes watched her calmly. Realizing that she was staring, the girl whipped around and danced forward, lightly on her toes.

“Come on Cel, I don’t want to miss it!” Her voice rang out, but was more cheerful than her previous whine. The youth shook his head, hiding a faint smile. Pushing his legs forward, he looked up towards the sky, peaking through the thick canopy of leaves. Ahead, the tunnel like effect disappeared revealing a hill in the middle of a field. A small crowd of people were gathering around the mound, and soon he would be joining them, which wasn’t something he was really looking forward too. But she’d been so excited about seeing it, the lunar eclipse, which wasn’t something that happened often in this region that there was no way he could say no. How do I get myself in these situations…

______________________________________________

Surfacing, she silently cursed herself for not taking her skirt off before diving. Although, her tail would not shred the fabric, the article of clothing would probably now be ruined, the dive and swimming near rocks most likely ripping the cream coloured skirt.

Putting aside her clothing problems, she quickly started making her way towards the figure in the water. Drawing closer, she realized the figure was in fact a young girl, no more than twelve or thirteen. It was hard to tell who she was, her back turned towards the mermaid, light brown hair swaying in the current around her. The young woman had almost reached the girl when a loud ringing voice split the air around them.

“Aeya! Please help me!” At the sound of her name, the half-mermaid froze in midstroke. She was confused now, not knowing anyone who would be out here and yelling for her help, unless…Tara?! Kicking back into gear, she kicked her tail hard and in a few long and graceful strokes was by the young girl’s side.

Turning around, she girl recognized who’s arms were wrapped around her and with a waterlogged, strained smile wrapped her arms securely around the mermaid’s neck. Changing positions to swim on her back, Aeya backstroked back towards the shore, making sure to look over her shoulder every so often to reach the sand she was aiming for.

Pushing the thick oak door open, Aeya allowed the soaked young girl enter the house first. The frequent squish of footsteps and trails of puddles allowing the older girl to know exactly where her guest was. Walking through the kitchen, she opened a door to a linen closet and pulled out a couple of large, fluffy, beige towels. Unfolding one, she began drying her waist length ebony hair.

“Tara, come here and grab this towel, we need to get you dried off and in some dry clothes.” Hearing the pitter patter of the girl’s feet approaching, Aeya turned and walked into the kitchen, the refrigerator door sliding open as she waved her hand across a sensor. The young girl followed close behind, the towel wrapped around her petite frame, as she sat on a bar stool next to the counter.

Placing a plate of snacks on the bar, by Tara, the sapphire eyed young woman took a bite and turned to play the flashing message she’d noticed on her voicemail. Pushing the play button, a tidal wave of memories washed over her as Razziel’s voice rang out from the speakers. She couldn’t think of anything to say, or of even how to react to the news he shared with her.

It had been so long since she’d seen any of them, except the occasional visit from Meive and Tara. There was a longing in her heart to contact the others, such as Kita and…Mikke…I wonder how he’s doing. Probably got a cute girlfriend. I wonder if he still lives in Midlothian… Painful memories came back of her hometown, the treatment she had to endure before and after the whole kidnapping incident took place. Breaking out of her thoughts, she realized that Tara had been speaking to her. Turning around, she faced the girl, taking in her vibrant emerald eyes that were just like her older brother’s.

“Have you been having those dreams too then? Like Meive? He’s been having them for weeks now, but he won’t tell me what’s in them. What’s going on?” Her voice was soft, the girl sitting back in the stool nibbling on a cracker as she spoke. Raking her fingers through her salt encrusted black locks, Aeya sighed and closed her eyes. She wasn’t exactly sure what was going on at all, and she wasn’t sure if she should tell Tara about what was happening to her, since the young girl hadn’t been there during the whole hostage and space traveling incident. Opening her eyes, her sapphire irises came to rest on the slim figure on front of her.

“Yea, I’ve been having some dreams, for some time now…” Her voice trailing off. Gathering herself together, she looked at the brunette with a serious expression, “So Tara, what in the world are you doing here? And where is Meive?”

_____________________________________________

Meive walked into the living room and stood in its center. His thoughts were still mostly consumed by sleep, though, he could sense that something wasn’t right. Allowing his emerald eyes to scan his surroundings, he grim expression rested on his lips. Lila will be here in a few days and this place is a mess. I don’t even recall how it got like this. Ever since those dreams started, I’ve had hardly any energy to do anything, they seem to be messing with my ability to control my power. This isn’t good, I can’t take care of Tara this way, the dreams are zapping me psychologically, that I’m too weak to do anything else, which makes me lose track of time, so I end up sleeping half the day. He knew he was rambling in his own thoughts, but he was too exhausted to care. It was then that he finally noticed what was wrong. Tara!

His mind was completely alert now, thoughts of his baby sister filling his brain. Racing around the house, he checked all the rooms, arriving in the kitchen last. Resting on the counter, he noticed a folded piece of paper, in the flowery design that Tara used. Quickly he snatched it and unfolded it, revealing a short message.

‘Dear Brother,
Don’t worry about where I’ve gone, it is a place I know you would approve of me being at. I thought it would be a good idea to leave you for a little bit, since you seemed really preoccupied with other things. I didn’t want to be a burden to you. I promise in a couple days time I will contact you and tell you my location. But until then, please take care of yourself and tell Lila I send my hugs and kisses.

Love,
Tara’

Laying the letter down, Meive sighed into his hands and let his slender fingers slide through his chestnut hair. He was relieved that she was alright, though it killed him that she thought it was better to leave him alone, and that she wouldn’t tell him where she had run off too. I need to get my act together, I can’t let this effect her. It was then that he noticed the message flashing on his voicemail. After listening, his heart pounded in his chest. So he wasn’t alone. This calmed him in one sense but alarmed him in another. What could possibly be happening that involved them all this time?

_____________________________________________

“Tell us where the deities are?” The harsh commanding voice rang out from the shadows, its owner hidden in the inky blackness of the unknown location. In the center, a pale white light lit up the figure of a kneeling young woman, her pale blonde hair glowing in the eerie illumination. Her face was cast down, her white gown soiled with dirt and blood, while her hands and feet were bound behind her. When the deep boast finally died away, the young woman looked up, her dark brown eyes cold.

“I will never tell. They won’t come to you, they know all about what you’re trying to do, their plan has already been set in motion. The Cornerstone has already formed.” A long tense silence washed over the area, no noise breaking its thick surface for sometime. The pale light suddenly disappeared, and the screams of the young maiden filled the air.

[||Megs||]

(That's fine! Mine was long, too xD!)


The morning that the cruise ship docked at New York, Raz received a baffling surprise. For the past two days Aurora had been throwing up every morning, looking pale and ashen. On the second morning Raz summoned a nurse, and he waited outside the bathroom, pacing to and fro.

He was puzzled by the glowing expressions on the females' faces when they exited, and the nurse excused herself. When the door shut behind her, Aurora sat down with Raz on the end of the bed. His confusion only tripled when tears came to her eyes.

"Aurora, what is it?"

"Oh Raz, it's a blessing!" the beautiful woman said, and Raz finally realized she was crying in happiness. "I'm with child, Raz." There was silence, poor Raz too befuddled and shocked to do or say anything. Aurora laughed, laying her head on his shoulder. An odd feeling swelled up in him, something warm. He was going to be a father.

"That is wonderful," he sputtered out, giving her a gentle hug. "I-I'm sorry, I'm just...a bit shocked."

"I understand, I was too!" she whispered, her happy watery eyes fixing on him. At the moment, Raz did not think about the potential hazards that such a situation could bring (like threatening Aurora and the child to make him do something), but thought of the future. Would it be a boy? A charming little girl? What would they name him/her? So many questions flicked in and out of his mind until he thought he'd start crying with happiness, too.



The Fan-Fan Cafe was pretty big, and Raz had booked two long tables that were put end-to-end. Unity was there waiting for them, her flaming long hair even longer than he last remembered. First she hugged Raz, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek that Aurora giggled at. Unity looked down at the other woman's stomach, obviously detecting something.

"My stars! You're pregnant! Not too long into it though, I see. Aww, come here!" Unity cried, swooping the small girl into a careful hug. All Razziel could do was grin with the faint hint of a blush splattered across his cheeks.


While the two stood there and talked, Razziel was faintly aware that someone was tapping his shoulder. A wide grin spread across his face, a memory coming back to him. A younger him working on the ship that they had crashed onto the desolate planet, and he had thought Kita had been tapping his shoulder. He had turned around to see that it hadn't been Kita at all...but know he was certain that this time, it was.

As he turned, he was a bit shocked by what he saw. Kita was stunning, and as healthy as can be. Her figure was perfect, and her lavender and silver hair hang down past her waist now. Her outfit was in the same style that he remembered, but more fit for an adult. Behind her stood a handsome Bastet with neat black hair, who was smiling kindly.

"Wow, you two look like a stunning couple!" Raz teased, earning a poke from Kita, who grinned.

"What is this I hear about you being a father?" The female Bastet said excitedly, giving Raz a brief hug before scooting around him to the other two. Her squees and praises made the two men laugh as they stood off to the side. Women.

[Starless::Night]

Meive sat in the arm chair staring straight ahead, his arms resting on his legs, hands limply placed on his thighs. His emerald eyes were distant as the breeze from the nearby open window rustled through his shaggy auburn hair. He had let it grow longer over the years, the longest layer just brushing his shoulders. Lila hadn’t seemed to mind, so it let it go, though she didn’t see him very often anymore, being the captain of a ship.

He’d just finished cleaning up the house, spending the past almost 48 hours doing so. The youth was worried, because he hadn’t been able to sleep at all, but knew that it was the dreams fault for all his recent problems. With the dream came the loss of ability in controlling how he moved in time, which not only messed his sleep schedule entirely, but also his eating schedule. Meive had forced himself to eat something light that morning, but even that had made him sick feeling. I’m going to lose an unhealthy amount of weight if this continues. But what can I do? I have no idea how to change or stop the dream from happening. I have plenty of time before I need to leave to go to the café though . As soon as the thoughts passed through his mind, he felt his eyelids growing heavy, an immediate drain of energy took over. Maybe I’ll take a nap while I’m waiting.

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

The couple walked down the sidewalk calmly, although the girl stepped with a joyful bounce. Her companion walked quietly, and it was unsure of whether or not he was happy. They continued walking on in silence for a few minutes longer, the enormous buildings that surrounded them reaching into the sky almost as far as they could see.

The humming of the hovervehicles above was a backdrop to the hustle and bustle of the world below, the constant movement of pedestrians and markets almost created a rhythm to those who listened close enough.

“So Cel, why are we here? You said there was something you needed to check up on.” The tall young man looked down to the beautiful woman next to him, and let a small smile dance across his lips for a few seconds, just long enough for her to see it.

“Yes, there is, I need to see some people. I don’t think it will take too long. We’re almost there.” Finishing, he turned his teal eyes to look straight ahead, stiffening for a second when he felt her hands latch onto his arm. Even after the past four years with her, he hadn’t gotten completely used to the physical contact. As long as it’s her and no one else, I don’t have too much of a problem I suppose.

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

Tara held onto Aeya’s hand tightly as the two shoved through the swarm of people that seemed to be pushing against them. They’d arrived in the city an hour or so ago, and from the very beginning, it was obvious that Aeya didn’t enjoy it. The half-mermaid hadn’t been in a place this populated in almost three and a half years, so her public social skills were incredibly rusty, not that they were very good to begin with. I suppose that comes from growing up in a rather small town, as well as being an outcast. Sighing, she looked up at the corner of the street to read the streetname. Looking back quickly, the young woman made sure that Tara was alright before continuing her plowing through the crowds once more.

The two hadn’t been walking for too much longer when Aeya heard her name called over the noise of the city. Slowing down, she listened, to make sure it wasn’t something in her head. I don’t need to be having hallucinations right now, please let it be real, but then, who would it be? Turning around when she heard the voice again, her sapphire eyes widened.

Approaching her was a young woman, someone she hardly recognized, and in her arms she woman was holding a baby, no more than a year old. Tara was oblivious to what was going on, not tall enough to see the woman coming towards them. Not until a minute later when the woman broke free of the human current.

“Aeya! It’s been so long since I last saw you! You look great!” The young woman’s voice was ecstatic and full of joy, her medium length light brown hair pulled up into a bun on the back of her head. Her eyes were hazel and glittered with tears of happiness. Aeya seemed frozen for a few seconds, unsure of what exactly to do. Her eyes came to rest on the infant in her arms. Noticing this, the smile on the young woman’s only grew.

“Yup, she’s mine, and she’s a blessing. Her name is Corina.” As she spoke, she held the baby out to Aeya, nearly making the woman hold her, much to Aeya’s dismay. She had a knack for children, but she hardly knew what to do in this situation. Tara watched giggling silently. Aeya somehow looked right taking care of kids—this the young girl knew from experience, the older woman’s presence was a major part of the child’s life— her long curly black hair cradling the baby in her arms.

Turning to the girl next to her, Aeya smiled warmly, “Tara, this is my old friend Anne, we used to be best friends a few years ago.” The girl turned her emerald eyes to the older woman and smiled, waving almost shyly, and Anne returned it, “She’s beautiful Anne, you’re so lucky!” The half-mermaid’s voice was cheerful, and almost childish, something that Tara didn’t see too often. This made everything seem better, for at least a while. The trouble the girl would get in for running away seemed a little less terrible for moment.

[||Megs||]

Lila stretched her arms, smiling despite the muggy air that threatened to kill her lungs. Her crew, at least those who weren't on break, were probably already in orbit, going over the coordinates that she had left them. Some people looked at her, a few guys even stopping to stare. Whoops, that's right...while on the spaceship, it was easier to just wear a form-fitting spacesuit while working. The suit was pretty important for when entering the climates of new planets, for it protected the body against any nasty pathogens or anything the human body was not use to.

She smiled again as she slung her tench coat on, hopefully looking more earthly now. Meive...she was almost there! Just as she was heading to a public transporter, she heard a voice that caught her attention.

"After watching a detective show, you can leave the room feeling somehow smarter. Or when you come out of the movies from watching something that had a strong, happy ending, you can feel
successful. Or how about a movie about a character who was suppose to die of a disease, spends his/her time doing the things they have always wanted to do, only to find out they have been falsely diagnosed? Sometimes you learn that you ought to spend life like its your last day; other times you learn that, on the surface, people are not who they appear to be. "

Lila turned to see a small crowd around a single figure that she could not currently see on the street corner; half of the crowd looked edgy. Warnings flashed in her mind as she came closer, drawing her trench coat around her more.

"But everyday, we see and hear that our appearance practically means everything. Don't get me wrong, it does in some ways--but to the point of obsession? Starving yourself, going on ridiculous diets, degrading yourself because your peer is a toothpick, and you are not? I have nothing against people who want to become that perfect, smoothed-skinned hottie who can walk down the beach and not worry if their stomach is folding over their bikinis," there were a few laughs, and the people in front of Lila finally shifted to the side, giving her a clear view of the speaker.

It was a girl, probably no older then nineteen or twenty years old. Her frame was more thick than fat, a rather attractive and general cute look. Her dark red hair was trimmed nicely to her shoulders, and Lila could tell she wore emotion contacts, for her eyes were changing from a sea-blue to a dark blue every few seconds.

"However, the sick fact is...even skinny people think 'they are too fat'. Cue the anorexic click. Or whatever people are doing these days. The media is a poison to minds of old and young!" It was a slight movement, but Lila saw a man signal with his index finger to another. What did they want with a girl who was just, well, preaching her beliefs? It wasn't illegal, within all rights. "I have reason to believe--no, actual proof--that there is an actual organization who is transmitting ultrasound waves from certain channels--hey, let me go!"

One of the men had darted forward then, backing the poor startled girl up against the building wall. The rest of the crowd stepped back in alarm, but Lila was quick to act. She flashed forward, knocking the man away and snatching the girl by the wrist.

They were running pretty fast, zigzagging through the masses of people and taking random turns down streets and alleyways. Finally they came to stop behind a dumpster, and the dark red-had slumped against it, drastically pulling in air while Lila had a slight pant.

"Are you crazy?" Lila asked putting one hand on her hip. "Freedom of Speech is one thing; but it's another to spout something like that to a group of unknown people. Have you tried talking to your mayor, or something?"

"Well duh," the girl panted, her eyes closing as she struggled for breath. "W, what do you think I, I am? Dumb?"

"That's what it looked like," Lila said coolly. She checked her watch and groaned mentally. Already five minutes late...and she had a reputation for never being late. "Who are you, anyways?"

"Alere Amone," the girl said proudly, manging to stand up straight and flick her hair away from her face. Lila stared at her, then actually sighed.

"Daughter of Steve Amone, the one who supports the Media Disruption Theory? That makes sense..." Which means she's in a lot of danger...I should have recognized her. She's all over the media, like her father. Both are being hunted...oh fun. "Look, don't you have body guards, or something?" Lila asked as she attached her small phone to her ear. She needed to call Meive before he started to worry.

"Psh, why?" Alere asked, looking at the other woman curiously, finally catching her breath. "Check it out, I can protect myself!" Lila blinked as what seemed to be energy formed above the girl's hand, crackling with its raw intensity. Then it faded, and Alere grinned. Suddenly Lila found this girl more interesting. Maybe the whole Media Disruption Theory was a cover up for some very interesting people to go after Alere...

"Personal contacts, Meive." Lila said softly, and Alere crossed her arms. Whether she liked it or not, Lila was suddenly responsible for the protection of this haughty girl. "Yes, Meive? It's Lila...sorry I'm late. Believe it or not, I just saved Steve Amone's daughter...do you mind if I bring her along? We are kind of being chased after." As Lila spoked, she took out a small button from her coat pocket and stuck it on the girl's shoulder. Instantly her appearance changed--her build more lanky, her hair straight and blond.

"What the heck? You can't just stick something on someone without--"

"Shush. Do you want to be eaten by government hounds?" Lila asked amusedly. Poor Meive, she thought. He was either chuckling at this or anticipating the misery of it all. But she smiled as she checked to make sure no one had discovered them yet, waiting for Meive's reply.

[Starless::Night]

Cel walked with her attached firmly to his arm, his teal eyes scanning the faces around him thoroughly. They were approaching Fan-Fan Café, his attention quickly focusing on the occupants instead. The couple finally walked by it, and Cel turned to look inside, and finding what he was looking for, they left without her even knowing what was going on.

As they walked further away from the shop, Cel’s attention was caught by another figure, actually, more like drawn to another person. He looked over the crowd of people that seemed to surge out of nowhere in particular until he caught sight of a young woman with waist length curly black hair. She held a small infant in her arms, which caused some mild alarm and surprise to shoot through the youth. I hope that isn’t her kid, that is going to cause some major problems if she’s already had a child. Some very dangerous complications could arise. That’s not what we need at this point. She mustn’t get involved if that’s how it’s going to be.

Quickly, Cel dove into the crowd, losing sight of the café and of the young woman, his thoughts troubled by things that could happen if they didn’t go as planned. He wasn’t in the market to harm family, and women and children, but if he didn’t get that girl then everyone was going to be in a lot of trouble. Especially the special ones.

__________________________________________________________

Aeya giggled along with Tara and Anne at the young baby’s innocent and naïve tendencies. Worries were temporarily forgotten, until the half-mermaid got a sick feeling in her stomach that often came with the voice in her head.

“Well Anne, it was great running into you, but we have to be going somewhere, we’re expected to meet some old friends, and it’s rather important, I hope we can meet again soon though.” As she finished speaking, she handed Corina back to her mother, Tara grabbed onto Aeya’s hand once more and after a quick goodbye on both sides once more, the two girls slipped away into the crowd, towards the café.

Aeya wasn’t really sure what to expect when they arrived, so she tried to remain as calm as possible. The young woman was nervous…really nervous…she hadn’t been that nervous in quite a long time. Since I first realized I liked him. How dorky is that… Mentally sighing, the sapphire eyed maiden pushed the café door open and scanned the place. Her eyes immediately drawn to the group that had collected in one area of the shop. A smile lit her face as she caught sight if Kita, the young Bastet looking as vibrant and healthy as usual.

She saw almost everyone there, except for Meive, Lila and Mikke. When she noticed this, she felt her heart sink slightly, but hid it well from the girl next to her. Tara was excited to be here, not having met the others from the event that happened four years ago other than Lila and Aeya. This didn’t mean she hadn’t heard stories. And plenty of them.

Looking down at the wide eyed child next to her, Aeya smiled larger and pressed forward. It was now or never, and hopefully the others would be arriving soon.

___________________________________________________________

Meive stirred, a foreign sound breaking into his troubled dreams. Peaking one emerald iris open, he stared around the room before his weary brain finally processed what it was that the noise was coming from.

Jumping up, he launched himself towards the communicator and held it up to his ear, mumbling a greeting. He hadn’t thought to look who it was who called, the only thing barely processing was the urge to pick it up. Although that was quickly being diminished by the urge to hang up and return to his restless sleeping. But that was before he heard the voice on the other end. His heart quickly skipping a beat as her melodic voice reached his ear. When she kept talking, it took him a few moments to process what exactly she was saying. Steve Amone’s daughter?! His eyes widened for a split second, before he groaned and sat back down in the armchair. Just what they needed, troubled dreams and more people chasing them. Rubbing his forehead with a free hand, he thought about it. Meive knew that he couldn’t just let Lila leave the girl there, no matter who she was, but he didn’t really want to bring her with them either.

“Yea, I don’t really think we have a choice at this point. You’ve already been seen with her, so they might come after you with or without her. We’ll just have to keep an eye on her at all times if she’s anything like her father.” Meive detested talking on the phone, especially with Lila, because he wished that she was actually there with him instead. Plus the ever growing migraine was causing him a great deal of pain that he wanted to get rid of via some painkillers in the bathroom. Why did these things always have to happen to them?

__________________________________________________________

The young boy wiped the tears from his eyes, his lengthy black hair hiding the upset expression. He was all alone now, his only friend gone, taken away, and most likely killed. Even though she was gone, he knew that he couldn’t stop, they had already set it in motion, and he couldn’t let the Cornerstone fail now, because it would mean the end of so much, and her death would have been in vain. The child was going to continue to fight for her, and save the others. It was all he could do, and all he knew how to do, after all his entire life was based upon it. He just wished he didn’t have to do it alone.

[Starless::Night]

(Hopefully this is enough, let me know if it's not. The details and descriptions might not be very good, but hopefully good enough, let me know if there's anything else I can do ^^)

A loud thundering noise grew louder, quickly overlapping the sounds of the mundane city life, as more and more people turned to try and find its source. It was unclear at first, and after a few minutes, it faded away. But it wasn’t long before the earth began to shake underneath their feet then. It wasn’t very much, but enough to send people running and screaming around in chaos.

Cel looked up towards the buildings lining the street and his teal eyes narrowing as he pulled the young woman closer next to him. She looked around alarmed, but on guard, trying to find out what was going on.

When the silence resumed, and the ground stopped shaking, the screams eventually died away, leaving behind an eerie calm. Cel couldn’t see anything flying around, or suspicious, but his senses were telling him otherwise. The couple had been close to the epicenter of the earthquake, though it had darn nearly any damage other than a few broken windows.

Everything seemed to be alright, and eventually people started returning to their normal routine. Cel firmly gripped her arm and walked forward, towards whatever it was he thought was there. The afternoon sun was well hidden by the height of the enormous skyscrapers, though every so often a few rays peaked through. At least until a scary ominous cloud formed out of nowhere.

With the sudden appearance of the large black cloud, the sirens throughout the city started going off. And before anyone had time to react, the nearby skyscraper suddenly broke close to its center, a fume of fire roaring out from where it had begun to fall, large chunks of concrete and steel raining down onto the streets. Seconds later, a large hovercraft emerged from behind the collapsing building, its sleek silvery metal belly almost blocking out the sky.

Cel, alarmed, turns back around and runs down a nearby alley, his companion keeping up, but terrified. This shouldn’t be happening! I need to stall them and then go find the others. I have to make sure that nothing happens to them. They mustn’t die!

[||Megs||]

"Alright we'll be right--" Lila was cut off as the trembling started, and Alere bumped into her as she lost her balance. But soon it was over...but then something worse came to pass. Not very far away at all a skyscraper began to buckle! "Meive, something's happening here, there's a ship...no, Alere!" her connection was cut off from Meive after that as something interfered with it, and Lila had to run after the girl as Alere cut into an alleyway. She had to help those people, Alere thought!

That's when she crashed pretty much head-on into Cel.



Raz blinked when the shaking began, but it was soon over. But the frightened cries happened again, but more in the distance. He looked to the others. What was going on...?

(sorry so short, I'll warm up to it ^__^!)

[Starless::Night]

Aeya froze in her steps as the ground began to tremble beneath her feet. Instinctively she wrapped her arms protectively around the young girl, in hopes that nothing would happen to either of them. The two had been only about twenty feet from their group of friends when it had started.

When the quake died away, Aeya opened her sapphire eyes and looked out the windows fearfully. A terrible knot had settled in the pit of her stomach, as she somehow sensed that whatever it was, wasn’t over. Tara loosened her grip around Aeya’s waist, still terrified to move very much, until she felt the older woman pulling away.

Gripping the shorter girl’s shoulders firmly, she looked down at the child with a serious look, before looking back over her shoulder outside, “Tara, I want you to stay here. I need to go find Anne, and make sure everything’s alright, I’ll be back in a few minutes, alright?” The girl was surprised to see Aeya gathering enough courage to do so. Not that she’s a coward, but she was always so frightened all the time. I guess time and the adventure from a few years ago have really changed her. Nodding her head numbly, she watched the ebony haired woman run out the door without a second glance.

Quickly running in the direction that she’d last remembered seeing Anne going in, she froze in midstep when the city’s sirens started, making her cringe at the earsplitting noise. Just as she was about to recover, a loud explosion rumbled the ground beneath her feet once more, and looking straight ahead, she saw a building slowly collapsing. Terrified, she made her way as carefully as possible through the stampede of the crowd. As the groups of people grew thicker, it became increasingly harder and harder to push her way through the large swarm. Until finally, she lost her footing, and fell, hitting the concrete hard enough to knock her senseless for a moment and when she regained her bearings she realized that there was no way she was going to be able to get out of this predicament. Curling up into a ball, she attempted to protect her vital points as much as possible. Please someone help me! I promised that I would come back for Tara, and I can’t let her down. And I still need to see everyone before going anywhere.

____________________________________________

Meive felt his heart catch into his throat when a loud noise drowned out Lila’s voice on the other side. His insides only seemed to twist around more when he heard her voice faintly before it became cut off. Throwing the communicator onto the sofa without a second thought, he heard the rumbling of the falling building. Not even thinking of his own problems any longer he raced out the door, towards the downtown area. It would take him about twenty minutes by foot, but he’d remembered that yesterday he’d taken out his motorcycle and filled it up. Skipping the last four steps on the stairs, he jumped to the ground and grabbed the keys from his pocket. Sitting on the bike, he felt it rev underneath him and kicking up the stand, whirled it around and onto the street in a split second. I have to get to her, I can’t let anything happen…please let everything be alright.

____________________________________________

Cel bumped back stunned temporarily by the strong face on force that had charged into him. Bracing himself enough not to go flying back into his partner, he opened his teal eyes and looked to see what it had been. He was mildly surprised to see a young woman standing before him, the same stunned look on her face as well. From her, he could sense a great deal of power, but his mind was on more important things. Seeing a flash of movement behind the young girl, he saw a familiar face, although a little older than he remembered. His expression blank, he watched the tall young woman approach the three of them and when she got closer, he started to turn away.

“Lila, you might want to look for your friends. Together you will be able to survive, But do so quickly, especially with the one you care about the most. He is not in his most powerful state right now and he’s going to need you. You all have to stay alive, for the sake of the Cornerstone.” Finishing, he turned and grabbing the young woman’s arm next to him took off around the corner.

____________________________________________

The large hovercraft made an odd noise before several large openings appeared on its bottom. And from it came several large tentacle like claws. They started grabbing people off the ground and lifting them, but most of them were dropped after a certain point, almost as if the claws were looking for someone specifically. Screams of the dropped people filled the air, reaching a louder pitch than the shouts of the runaways. And all the while, the claws continued searching, methodically.

[||Megs||]

"Aeya, it's okay! I'm right here!"

Of course she was--what were friends for? Kita had spotted Aeya running out and had instantly followed. She pulled her friend up close to her, shielding her from most of the pushing and accidental hits from screaming passerby. Finally Kita was able to battle her way back up into a standing position, wincing as an elbow dug into her side, but she was able to pull them both to the mouth of an alleyway, where the stream of scared citizens was less.

Kita watched slightly agape, one hand gently clinging Aeya's left wrist so that they wouldn't get separated, watching as what appeared to be tentacles came down from the ship and started to pick people up...and drop them?!

"Aeya!" she gasped, feeling a pain tug at her heart. "We, we need to do something...!"

-----

Lila blinked, recognizing Cel from the base, though she never had had the time to learn much about him at all. Wait, why was he turning away from her? She listened intently, but confusion poked at her understanding. Before she could inquire, he had ran out of view with the girl. But she nodded after him. yes, she needed to get to Meive, somehow...! And knowing him, he was well on his way. The smart thing to do would be to get closer to the Fan-Fan Cafe, the most logical location both her and Meive would be sure to share. And Meive...what Cel had said...was he okay...?

"C'mon," Lila said, darting in the opposite direction of the ship toward where she knew the cafe somewhere was. Alene, confused, actually followed without a complaint or word.

[Starless::Night]

Aeya grabbed onto the Bastet thankfully, and when the young cat like girl pulled them to safety, she could have glomped her friend with gratitude. Looking out of the alleyway into the streets, she felt just as helpless as Kita as the tentacles continued on their strange search. The two weren’t really sure how far away the claws were, the alleyway hiding the ship from view, but they could tell from the screams that it was getting closer.

“I have no idea what we can do, but I have to get back out there, I know someone out there and I have to make sure that she’s alri—” She stopped in midsentence when she thought she’d seen Anne run by. Forgetting any thoughts of rationality, she ran back in the crowd, in the direction she’d seen her friend go in.

The collapsing skyscraper had gotten caught on the building across the street, though from the looks and sounds of it, the supporting structure wouldn’t be lasting for very much longer. Aeya heard it crumble in enough time to make sure she wasn’t anywhere near where they were going to land.

As both colossal construction showered to the street, the ground trembled beneath them once more, knocking hundreds of people off balance and into the path of the hovercraft, and more dangerously in front of the claws. By now, it seemed that the tentacles had developed a new mission, instead of dropping everyone it plucked up, it seemed to go after specific people, and although still releasing most of them, they were placing some in another hole that had appeared in the ship’s metallic belly. Aeya was still far enough away from it all that she wasn’t too worried about them, but she couldn’t help but wish she could do something to the people who were involved. What do they want? What are they looking for, and why are they hurting so many people?

When the shaking faded away, the half mermaid made her way closer to the ruins, tears filling her eyes at the thought of all the people who had been trapped underneath. Please let no one be seriously injured. Please don’t let Anne be here, let her be somewhere else, out of harm’s way. I just want this all to be one nightmare. The words gave her a déjà vu effect as she remembered wishing the same exact thing, four years ago.

________________________________________________________

Meive sped down the highway far surpassing the given speed limit. His mind was on one thing, to get downtown and find the others. He could see the buildings collapse, and skidded his bike to a dangerous halt when the ground began to move beneath his tires. When it stopped, he resumed, pondering on how he was going to get to the café , since the skyscrapers had most likely collapsed on the street he normally took.

Reaching the outskirts of the city, he moved off the main street and started winding through back alleys and avenues, careful not to get himself lost. He had gotten about halfway to the café when he saw something or rather someone, getting momentarily distracted, he lost control of his bike and slid into one of the walls.

Tossing the bike off of him, he dragged his body away from it, wincing and gasping all the while. His auburn hair sticking to his forehead, emerald eyes narrow with pain. Reaching the wall across from where he crashed, he leaned back, resting his head on the hard surface and looked up to the sky. Today is just going to be one of those days. Looking down at his leg, he groaned, making sure that the large gash was relatively clean, and not dangerously deep. Meive tore the sleeves of his shirt and wrapped it around his wound tightly.

Waiting a few minutes, he gathered his strength and pulled himself onto his wobbly feet. A wave of lightheadedness washed over him as he quickly closed his eyes. Waiting for it to pass, he figured out where he was and where he needed to go. Opening his jade green eyes, he pushed off the wall and as carefully as possible carried on, hoping to get to where everyone else was as soon as possible.

[||Megs||]

"Hey, Aeya! No, don'--"

But it was too late--the half-mermaid's hand slipped from her grasp as the young woman dashed back out into the crowd. She was about to take pursuit when a pair of small hands took her own. Blinking, Kita partially looked up to see a young Avian hovering at her side, keeping hold of her. She looked familiar...

"Kita, right? You know my brother, Mikke! But right now we need to get back to the others."

-----

His wings beat the air, letting off brief ignitions of sparks. Well, at least this was releasing a ton of his electrical energy...his eyes narrowed as he focused, peering down into the chaotic crowds for Aeya. He had seen her dart away from Kita...aha!

There she was, approaching the ruins. But behind her, she wasn't able to see a line of falling people. He swooped down, delicately scooping the girl up into his arms and beating up into the air, but not too high, a mere second before Aeya got squished. He touched down at the edge of the ruins, setting her on her feet.

"A-Aeya," he said, slightly out of breath, but keeping his tone light. "Please don't do that again--here, let me help you. Who are you looking for?" he glanced up at the air craft for a moment, then back to Aeya. He knew One would be attempting to lead Kita back to the others...

-----

Something was wrong. Lila stopped, even though they were only across the street from the Fan-Fan Cafe, which looked empty. Alere glanced back at her.

"Hey, come on!"

"No, you keep going--the others are here somewhere. Look for a man named Razziel, red hair--he won't be hard to find." with that Lila took off up the street, ignoring Alere's quizzical shouts behind her. The girl had a decent brain, she wouldn't dare follow Lila.

Meive, Lila thought, fighting her way through the stampeding, panicked people. If he wasn't here by now, then something was wrong. She wasn't sure if she was even going in the right direction, but she could faintly feel his mind. Yes, she would get to him...she had to...

[Starless::Night]

Aeya was so focused on finding her friend, that she didn’t notice the line of falling people that was quickly approaching her. She could see the ruins growing ever bigger before her as she came closer. Just when she thought she herd strange sounds behind her, she felt her feet lift off of the ground, and strong, but gentle arms wrap around her waist and under her knees.

She would have screamed if her voice wasn’t caught in her throat. The half-mermaid wasn’t a huge fan of heights, so her sapphire eyes closed immediately, and her arms went straight for whoever’s neck. Burying her face into his shirt, she recognized the scent.

Surprised, her eyes flew open, just as they were landing. Looking at her rescuer, her breath got caught in her throat as well, as thoughts of her own rescue mission were temporarily forgotten. The youth that now stood before her was someone she hadn’t seen in what felt like forever! She’d missed him so much, that she hadn’t even thought of what to say when they came face to face again.

Realizing that he’d been speaking, she also noticed that she’d been staring. Mikke had grown up a lot over the four years, his appearance a lot more mature and adult like. Again, she’d been staring, and a blush was now creeping up along her cheeks. Shaking her head, she gathered her thoughts and looked into his eyes.

“I’m looking for Anne. I think she might have gone in this direction. I have to find her!” Her thoughts once more focused on finding her old best friend, she grabbed Mikke’s hand and started running, almost with a specific destination in mind. Something was telling her to go this way, and somewhere deep in her gut, she knew that it wasn’t good.

___________________________________________________________

Meive dragged his injured leg while still trying to move in the direction he knew the café was. As he slowly approached it, he could sense that Lila was somewhere around here. Though still a good distance from where he was, but still close enough to communicate with her, at least he hoped so.

“Lila, can you hear me?” Moving along, he waited for a response, while still trying to be as vigilant as possible as to what was going on around him. And for a moment, he thought he recognized a couple running by, but before he could get a second look, they were gone. Either I’ve lost too much blood, or I’m officially insane. Neither of the thoughts were too appealing.

___________________________________________________________

Cel ran quickly, making sure she was able to keep up with him. He’d just run passed one of the one’s he’d been waiting for, and from the looks of it, he was pretty badly injured. Though the forest green haired young man knew that Lila was on her way. Breaking out of one of the alleyways they’d been running through, he looked down at the young woman next to him.

“You ready to do this Kerin?” His voice was calm, but held an undertone of mischievousness. Kerin looked up at him, her violet eyes burning with fire like energy.

“Let’s do it!” Her voice was excited, and Cel was happy to hear her old energetic self back. Looking away, he let his gaze fall on the enormous hovercraft that floated only a few hundred yards above them. The others would need his help until they knew what to do exactly, and he was ready for it. Payback time!

[||Megs||]

"Aurora! Aurora!"

The people gushed past him like a fierce and violent river, a river that had swept his wife away. Raz clenched his fists, shoving through the people. "Aurora!" But his voice wasn't the only one calling out for a lost one. Perhaps a thousand people, a thousand mothers and fathers, desperately calling to their children, children calling back, friends and lovers separated....

He was grabbed by both Unity and Nolan and dragged back to the front of the cafe. "Hey, let me go! If she get's hurt--"

"Raz, calm down!" Kita said, who was suddenly standing before him, a small girl with pretty white wings hovering behind her. "Mikke's sister can locate her better than we can on foot." But Raz couldn't get himself to calm down, even though Kita quickly described Aurora to the young Avian, who quickly took off with a few quick beats to her wings.

If Aurora fell, or got hit in the stomach too hard...

-----

Every footstep, every blow to her body from the flailing limbs of over people were beginning to have a toll on Lila. After a particularly harsh blow to the gut from an elbow, she nearly fell down into the streets. No--falling down would be bad, as she would get trampled an never get up again. With a decisive huff Lila flung off her trench coat, leaving her visible in her space suit. But now she was able to weave among the parading, panicked people a lot easier. Almost there, almost there...

Lila, can you hear me?

Even though the sudden voice in her head clearly startled her, she kept moving forward, as fast as she could.

"Meive, I am coming!"

It seemed to take forever, and her lungs were having a fit. Finally, finally, Meive came into view. He was injured...Lila rushed to stand before him, setting her hands on her knees as she looked up at him.

"Meive, are you--what happened?"

-----

Anne? Who was Anne? Before he could ask, his hand was grasped into hers and he was being pulled along. He got his thoughts in check and gripped her hand back, looking around carefully to make sure nothing was coming at them. He tucked his wings to his sides, once in a while guiding Aeya out of a patch out stampeding people.

She seemed to know where she was going, and Mikke hoped that her friend was alright.