Supernatural

23

JANUARY — GLIDER HQ — 3:53 PM

"I don't understand how you're all acting normal," Monica said. "There's a mind controlling girl out there, who can kick Rylie's ass without even using her powers. And, she is probably working with the people who run the camps. So, actually, nevermind. She's a brainwashed, psycho killer, badass, mind controller."

"Don't stress out about it," Marcus reassured. "You and Pepper and working on the trimethylxanthine. You'll get it right, he'll bring her here, we'll get some answers and get Alexis back. Maybe we could even stop this from happening to everyone else."

"I think that last one should be a goal that's hard to get," Pepper suggested. "Or something we can work on when we finish our first one. Rylie's little sister is the priority."

"There's so much smoke, guys, I can barely see," Rylie coughed. "I'm on the twelfth floor."

"Just keep looking around, they should be there. Be careful, the roof could collapse at any second," Pepper warned, watching a model of the building's structure on her monitor. Some beams were highlighted in red, indicating there was danger of it breaking. "You have three minutes at best. You have to hurry."

"How many people are on the twelfth floor?" Tyler asked.

"Five," Marcus answered, biting his nail nervously.

"Do we know what caused it?" Monica asked.

"Most likely arson. I think it started at the sixth floor," Pepper said. "Could have been an accident, too. Someone smoking inside, or a candle. It's hard to tell."

"I got four out. Can you see the other one?"

"I think to the left of the floor. Room 283? Looks like a teenager? Maybe young adult."

"Yikes," Tyler muttered.

"You can say that again," Marcus said.

"Thirty seconds, Light Glider," Pepper said, urgently. "You need to get out of there."

There was a pause. "I found room 283."

"For God's sake, get out of there!" Tyler exclaimed.

"Twenty seconds."

"Give me a countdown."

"It won't be exact."

"I don't care, give me a countdown."

"Fifteen," she said. "Fourteen, thirteen."

"I found them. Best point of exit?"

"Try the window, genius."

They heard the sound of shattered glass as he broke through. From the camera, they saw him struggling to fly as he held onto the boy who couldn't have been older than seventeen, just roughly a year younger than them, bringing him safely to the ground as the apartment complex crumbled.

"I'm on my way back," Rylie said, smiling as the people thanked him. He drifted into the sky, eager to get back before the smoke in his lungs became too unbearable.

JANUARY — GLIDER HQ — 4:28 PM

"That was a stupid, stupid risk," Monica scolded as she gave him an oxygen mask full of clean air.

"I don't regret it," he responded, hissing a bit when she pressed a cold, wet rag to his arm to tend to the burns. She was rougher than usual. "Would you have rathered I let them die?"

"I would have rathered you listen to instructions and be faster."

"Ha! Is she talking about your slow ass now, too?" Tyler called, from the other room.

"Shut up, Ty."

He cackled, cracking into laughter.

"Man, I hate him," Rylie muttered, watching a small, one degree burn on his leg begin to blend in.

"He's your best friend."

"Everybody hates their best friend."

Rylie suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and gripped the arm of the chair to steady himself, almost falling over. "You alright?" Monica asked, holding his shoulder to keep him upright.

    "Yeah," he replied, massaging his head as a headache began to come on. "Just a headache, and a bit dizzy. Maybe it's just from the fumes."

    "You've never had that reaction before," she muttered, moving over to the drawers. "Here. Just take some painkillers."

    "I'm fine, Mon."

    She gave him a dirty look, and he finally gave in and swallowed them.

JANUARY — K16 HOUSE — 11:49 AM

The group had been discussing ideas and plans the next day, until Harpo decided he wanted to relax, and Sean went to go train. The other two had been waiting around doing nothing up until lunch, when Madilyn decided she wanted to cause turmoil already.

"We shouldn't," 2832 shook her head. "Not until we have a proper plan and execution."

"I guess," Madilyn sighed, leaning back on the couch. "You're beginning to sound like Harpo."

"What's with him anyway?" She asked, casually. "He never speaks unless we're on missions. Why is that?"

She hesitated before answering. "You're asking the wrong person."

"Who should I ask then?" She pressed.

"He had a rough childhood," Madilyn shrugged, finally giving in. "Orphan at two minutes old." Seeing 2832's confusion, she continued. "His mom was fifteen. Didn't want a kid at so young, but didn't want an abortion either. Jumped between foster families, all of them bad and just in it for the money. He ended up in an orphanage, and ran away the next day.

"He said that no matter how horrible the streets were, he didn't want to go back to that orphanage. He got in a real bad situation, and he was taught to shut his mouth or they'd do it with a sledgehammer."

2832, although she should have, didn't have much pity for him. It wasn't because she lost her ability to feel any emotion, but because she had been through hell and back. Anything else would have been better.

"What about you?"

Madilyn snorted, looking to the side. "You said you had me completely figured out."

"I can't get the details," 2832 said. "Only the vague idea."

She didn't answer right away, and began quietly. "My dad had been involved with the AMO before I was born. He'd regularly go away for a while. But when he was with me, he was great." She smiled(it had to be the first time 2832 saw her smile), as if she was replaying a distant happy memory. "He used to teach me small things. He said I should never fight with words, because then you could ruin someone permanently. He said a kick or a punch would knock sense into them.

"When I was sixteen, I worked for the AMO. I trained hard and worked hard to get into it, and my first mission was with him. It was to track down an SN." A darkness swept over her brown eyes, her smile falling into an angry frown. "The SN was strong. He ripped the head off of my dad and made me watch. He was going to kill me, too, but I grabbed my dad's gun and shot him. I got in shit for it, because I was supposed to capture him, but I didn't care."

2832 stared at her for a moment as she processed it, then looked away. That was why she felt so strongly about despising all and any supernaturals. Her father was killed in such a ruthless and brutal way by one, and she had to look as the life left his eyes.

Madilyn promptly got up and left, and 2832 didn't stop her.