The Changed

Carter

Chapter 22

Carter had been watching everything. He watched as his brother leaped at the Panther to protect him. He had watched as the anger had burnt out Max, and he had gotten control over the blade. He watched as his brother had been nearly killed by the monster.

But he could do nothing but watch as the dark figure jumped at Carter. But he didn't kill him as Carter had first suspected. Instead he transformed mid-air and grabbed the bird before it took flight. And Brandon appeared behind him when Max and Carter landed on the ground. "Carter! Shift. He just wants answers and help. You have to shift."

What Brandon said let Max get up and release the large bird. Carter didn't waste a second. He jumped up and flew away from Max, shifting into an Owl in air. Max watched as the shifting figure stuck its feet ahead of him. When he landed Carter was at the weapons rack, and pulling a red bow from the wall. "Where's the Lioness?" Carter said, as he turned around.

"Right here," and Carter followed the sound to find a girl with waist length hair and red eyes. She sat on one of the electronic tables, and was hard to see, even with Carter's increased night vision. Without another word, he tossed her the bow and watched as she caught it. He watched as she hopped off the table and quietly walked around him and the scientists. He noticed a brooding figure approach Brandon out of the corner of his eye. "Okay, what would you like to know?" He said, acting like he was in charge. But Max smiled and replied. "Not here."

And everything fell apart for the twins. The girl appeared behind Carter and pulled out one of the Egyptian blades. At the same time Max shifted and lunged a Carter, and the mysterious brooding figure lunged at Brandon and pulled out one of his blades, and ran away with it. The girl began to run at his brother, while Max grabbed Carter and flew out of the Empire State Building, toward the nights sky. He saw his brother run after them, but he wasn't fast enough. He stopped at the window and watched as his brother flew away.

Brandon didn't have time to react when a slim figure bashed into him and launched him over the side of the skyscraper. He felt the girl grab his waist as she pulled on the parachute wire. There was barely enough time as he slipped from her grasp. They were about thirty stories off the ground now when he saw a giant figure diving for Brandon.

Brandon was caught off guard as the bear dived past him. Brandon could only watch the giant figure form into a human again and slow down immediately. But Brandon didn't slow down, and Liam caught Brandon's falling form. He began to black out as the large man caught Brandon and put the parachute around him. Brandon woke up as he slowed down from the fall, and realized what he had done.

Chapter 23

Max had dropped off Carter at the roof of the building and went back for the other two. Ha didn't know what to expect, but he heard Ahvienda screaming. he followed her line of sight to find Liam dropping like a sack of potatoes. And time seemed to stop. Max didn't waste a second and dived after Liam. He seemed to float in the air as he passed Ahvie and Brandon and continued to dive to the ground.

Max passed Liam and dropped to the ground when he saw Liam continue to drop, only about twenty feet from the ground now. Max leaped into the air and flew towards the dropping Liam and caught him, bringing him back to Nina's apartment. He saw Liam rip off the mask on his face and take a deep breath.

Liam was afraid of the heights, he didn't belong up here. Liam began to breathe in deeply in a useless effort to calm himself down. When that didn't work, he began to mutter to himself "Don't look down, Liam. Don't look down." With that, Liam closed his eyes and thought about the good parts of life. But his life sucked. So he made a list of all the bad things, and all the good things.