The Unseen

Confrontation and Confusion

The Oakmans and Shae had gone to a fast food restaraunt for a quick lunch. Sarah, since her father's confession, found comfort only in food and her sister, while Miranda had been quick to leech to Shae even before her secret origin was revealed. Miranda's clinging to him was now amplified, much to Shae's annoyance.

He had eaten in haste, and was once again staring at his empty tray.

"Are they after us again?" Miranda asked as Sarah ignorantly shoveled in a second helping of chicken fingers.

"Not the laboratory," he replied cooly, "Not this time." He stood up, motioned the three to stay, and walked out onto the sidewalk. Suddenly, a young woman and a demon-like purple man appeared in a puff of smoke.

"We finally got him," Miranda and her father could both hear the purple man think, "Took him long enough." He grabbed Shae's wrist, and then seem befuddled when nothing happened. Shae grinned, and hit him in the face with a sky-blue-tinted fist. The man was unconscious, but his accomplice put up a better fight. She dogded two of his punches, but made the mistake of closing the distance. There was an explosion of sky-blue light, and she was sent reeling backwards. The purple man had recovered quickly, and began to assist her by teleporting around him.

The city seemed to have dropped all it was doing as the fight continued. Traffic had slowed to a halt as people recorded the fight from their phones, and police began to set up a barrier. The restaraunt's customers began flocking toward the front door, with the Oakmans leading the charge.

"What has he gotten himself into?" Sarah thought to herself.

"I don't know, Sarah," Miranda's voice echoed inside Sarah's head, "I don't know."

The three fought for some time before strange people began joining the fight. Sarah immediately recognized them as affiliates of the people they fought nights ago.

"The laboratory's here, too," Sarah mused under her breath. Her father was speechless, staring at the ensuing chaos not in fear, but in piqued curiosity. Only another reason to believe Shae.

Suddenly, one of the animal-man monsters jumped onto the brunette. It pulled her onto the ground, and she let out a cry of pain as its claws dug into her sides.

Shae, shoving the purple man off of him, immediately went to the woman's aid. In a flash he had broken the creature's arms, removed it from his former adversary, and disintegrated it into the black dust he so often used. The cloud of dust formed two swords in his hand as more of the creatures surrounded him.

The rescued woman was left dazed on the ground, her head reeling from the pain. In an instant, Shae had dispatched with the rest of the laboratory's creatures, and proceeded to move back to his rescued opponent. Her partner, the purple man, was kneeling over top of her.

"She's going to die," he choked, "I'm so sorry." Shae stood over him.

"I can save her." Without seeking acknowledgment, Shae pushed the man out of the way, and held up his right hand. A gossamer, sky blue string of light appeared from a circle on his palm and spread around his hand until it covered his hand entirely. Shae drew symbols on the woman's body, and her wounds were quickly healed.

She gasped back to life, her hands grabbing at the first thing they touched. They happened to cling to Shae's torso.

"I will be powerless for a few hours," he informed the pair as he raised his hands above his head, "Do what you will with me." The purple man cradled his partner, and looked upon the Oakmans.

"Would you like to come with us?" he asked, "We'll protect you from these things." Shae gave an approving nod, and the Oakmans quickly joined the three.

And then, in a puff of smoke, all six of them disappeared.