YOUNG GODS {ANDY STRUCKER}

ONE / ExPOSED

Rain poured down as three young adults and a teen stood, searching. "Find anything?" Lana, the dark haired teen asked John, who was tracking a fellow mutant. 

"She's close," John said, earning an annoyed sigh from the teen.

The other woman, Laurna piped in. "Actually, close or close like last time you said we were close?" Marcos and Lana laughed at this.

Marcos looked into the distance, down a dark alley. As he investigated further, light glowed from his palms. "Over there," Marcos said as he walked to the alley.

Once there they saw shards of a police vehicle. Lana listened and heard the panicked muffle of thoughts inside the building next to them.

"You cold?" Marcos asked Laurna, earning a nod. "Here let me warm you up."

"It's fine, you can warm me up later though," the young adult said.

"First of all, ew," Lana said. "Second, I think the mutant is in there, she seems scared though." The adults nodded and the four of them moved in, Lana splitting with John and the couple going the other way.

It seemed the others had found the mutant, yet panic filled John's features. "Shit, cops." He and Lana went down to the first floor and were met with Laurna, Marcos, and the mutant, a young woman with violet hair and vibrant green eyes. "Kill the lights," John said, Laurna raising her hands and breaking the lightbulbs.

"This is the police; we know the fugitive is inside. Come out with your hands up or we will open fire." Laurna stood, seeming to surrender before closing her hands into fists, pushing the cops to the ground.

Raising his hands, Marcos filled the whole building with light, disorienting the police force and the five of them ran to the back door, where John had left the car. Realizing this, a stray officer sprinted to the back door, shooting bullets at the group of mutants. Lana shifted, her whole body forming into a diamond-like matter, shielding her and the new mutant. Laurna had been able to catch most of the bullets, protecting herself, yet one slipped past, wounding her lover,

"Marcos!" Laurna shrieked, the man crumbling in agony. She saw red. She went in to attack the cop, smashing his body against the wall. Laurna was able to hold her own until more cops arrived, electrocuting her with a tazer. Laurna and John fought against Marcos, putting him into the car, watching as their comrade and friend was cuffed and dragged away.

***

"We have to go back!" Marcos screamed when they arrived at the headquarters of the mutant underground.

"We can't Marcos, it's too risky," Lana said, trying to calm him down.

Marcos looked at her, his features resembling that of a burning man: full of agony and grief. "She's like your sister Lana! You can't turn your back on her!" Marcos accused. 

Lana sighed. "I'm not, our parents were friends, she is the closest thing to a family I have now. But it is not safe. We had always agreed that under circumstances like this I would take the mantle of leadership should Laurna be gone," Lana reasoned. "Now is the time and I am now in charge. Laurna wouldn't want all we have built to go to waste because we tried to save her."

"So, we're abandoning her?" 

"No. We will save her when the time is right."

Sage came into the room. "Guys, you're gonna want to see this," she said. Though Lana tried her best, she could hear the fear in her thoughts.

They went into the other room, looking at the small TV. "Breaking news, local high school destroyed by two teen mutant terrorists. Authorizes have yet to release their statement but more information is on the way."

"Well, if things aren't heated up, they sure as hell are now."

***

Lana walked around the compound, helping complete odd jobs while she looked for Marcos. She believed she had been too harsh and was looking to apologize. It was then that she saw Clarisse and John speaking to each other in hushed voices.

"What's going on?" Lana spoke.

"Marcos has run off," John said, rubbing his temples.

"What?" Lana said, now angry.

Clarisse looked to her. "Yeah, he told me that he was going to help a family, something about getting more information about Laurna's whereabouts. He told me not to tell you guys but now I'm getting worried."

Lana's eyes flickered white before she got her powers back under control. "Well then let's go find him."

***

The tree of them had managed to track Marcos to a bridge. They only realized what was going on when sentinel services showed up. John looked to Lana, and she nodded, signaling for him to break the chain around the door blocking them from the others. On the other side stood a family of four, the parents a boy Lana's age and a girl not much older. 

"Let's go!" John yelled and the family broke into a sprint. Lana stepped out of the warehouse, rings of white energy surrounding her head as her eye glowed white. Many of the members of sentinel services collapsed, writhing in pain. She ran to catch up.

"Got some down but not all of them," Lana yelled. "They're coming!" The boy tripped and fell causing John to help him up. A spider-like robot attached itself to John's leg squeezing.

"Move," Lana said to the boy, hardening her arm into her diamond form, bringing it down to the robot, shattering it into pieces. The boy looked to her in wonder as they ran.

They had met a dead end.

"Sentinel Services is on the other side," John said, his voice shaking slightly. All of the robots charged at them, the young girl raising her hands, causing some sort of shield to form.

"Clarisse, you have to get us out," Lana said, looking to the violet haired woman.

"I-I can't it's not safe," Clarisse panicked.

"It's either that or we all die here, please," Marcos encouraged. Clarisse focused, allowing purple energy to focus on her palms. Screaming, she opened the portal to a size they could enter. 

John jumped first, confirming it was safe. Next the mother and then the daughter after Lana turned to diamond, letting her know it was safe for her to go.

By now the men had come, shooting rounds at them. Lana held out her arms the bullets bouncing off her body. Marcos had jumped through and before the boy did, he raised his arms, ripping all the robots apart. His father took the two teenagers, pushing them into the portal but right before he went through, he was shot, collapsing to the ground. At the same time, Clarisse fainted, closing the portal and leaving the man on the other side.

"DAD!"