A/N: *cheers and claps* That’s right people, you’re looking at the new story that me and my co-author Ana have decided to add on to “Contributions of Dilemma” Since we put an end to that story and left you guys at a cliff-hanger- I decided along with Ana to put a smile and team up again to this trilogy! Enjoy and please drop a review! Thanks and take care!

“Termination of Sanity”

**~Fake Reality~**

The wheels crunch over the gravel driveway as he turns off the ignition of his black Mercedes. He gets out of his vehicle and quietly slams its door. The soft moonlight crashes down the cement pathway, its silver light lighting up the way. Going up two brick steps, he makes his way over towards the front door, excited to just get inside his house and rest. He missed his wife and longed to feel her embrace after everything that has happened with CAPPA and its destruction. Sighing happily, he gazes up at the dark velvet blue sky and inhales the cool wisp breeze the drapes the atmosphere tonight. Walking pass bushes and homegrown trees, he reaches the dark mahogany front door and turns the lock with his keys. Opening it, he steps into the lighted hallways taking in the sweet smell of his favorite dish that was being made. The wonderful odor bathes the hallways as Brian smiles and sees the silhouette of his wife beneath the crack of the kitchen door.

“Honey, I’m home!” Brian yells happily as he swings open the ivory kitchen door to be greeted with happy squealing from his wife.

“Baby!! I can’t believe it! You’re here! You’re really here!” His wife giggles gleefully, her sapphire eyes gleaming under the soft yellow florescent lighting as she jumps on him smearing him with missed kisses and embraces.

“Yeah. It’s over sweetie. Nick and the rest of us along the girls completely destroyed the entire company. Now I’m able to just go home and rest. I’m so tired. I don’t think I remembered the last time I got some good sleep.” Brian states wearily, rubbing his left shoulder gingerly.

His wife smiles gently and nods her head, “It’s ok Brian. Why don’t you take a nap and I’ll call you when dinner is ready. I missed you and I just wanna talk. I missed you so much.” She says quietly, her eyes tearing up as she embraces her husband.

Brian wraps his arms around his wife, holding her tightly as he sighs. She pulls away and pelts him with kisses: long awaited ones that ended with a quiet sigh.

“I missed you love. But I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, k?” Brian whispers into her soft snowy ears.

His wife shakes her head, her golden tresses bouncing off her shoulders as she heads back towards the stove, stirring something into a pot.

Brian watches on for a few minutes, walking up behind her and pulling her to him. He kisses her shoulders and laughs quietly as his wife goes on to talk about the exciting things she was doing at her new job.

Brian sighs happily, still embracing her from behind. The peaceful silence welcomes the couple. Suddenly the kitchen door swings open as bullets shatter the kitchen glass windows from outside. Glass shards spill on the white marble tiles, littering the beautiful clean room. Brian and his wife turn around surprised, only to be greeted by a black masked solider pointing a large magnum at them. The soldier was a built average height person but covered beneath the dark loose clothes. The soldier laughs and starts shooting at them, as Brian grabs his wife and dives towards the floor. More glass littered the white tiles as Brian holding onto his wife’s right hand, begins crawling around a tall kitchen counter for protection. They crawl behind a light wooden mahogany counter as bullets pelt and pounded around them. Brian looks his wife shivering in fear as she covers her sensitive ears from the popping gun shots.

Brian hugs his wife as he tries to reach for his cellular phone in his pocket. In his fear, he had dropped that phone back at CAPPA. Sighing, he looks around worriedly, whispering into his wife’s ear that everything will be fine. He’ll fix the problem and not to worry about it. “You won’t get hurt, they want me.”

“I thought you said you destroyed them!” His wife shrieks over the slamming bullets hitting the counter.

“That must be their backup plan. Just listen to me honey: stay behind the counter. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Brian whispers calmly to his wife. He looks around to see a black cordless phone hanging on the wall across from where he’s at. It would be impossible to reach it without getting struck with bullets along the way.

Brian gulps, his heart hammering against his chest as he decides on what to do next. He looks at his wife and places his pointer finger over his mouth. He whispers that he was going to stop the soldier that is shooting. The look of fright crossed over his wife’s face as she shakes her head rapidly, reaching to grab his hand towards her. He smiles and places a small kiss on her forehead before creeping around the counter, keeping low to the ground. He stands up and races over to face the shooting solider. His wife screams out, “Wait, what are you doing?! They’ll shoot you if you do that!” Her sweet voice remaining the only gentle joy in this room.

Brian smiles and shakes his head as he stands in front of the solider. At once the soldier stops shooting and the bullets coming from outside is at a standstill as well.

“Who are you and how did you get in here?” Brian whispers, his dark azure eyes fixated on the soldier’s arsenal as he leans in and peers at the dark beady eyes coming from the black mask.

The soldier’s gruff voice sounded muffled from behind the black ski mask he was wearing, “I’m Roker and you forgot to lock the front door behind you.”

“I’m gonna call the police if you don’t get out of here now.” Brian whispers, his voice wavering a bit with fear and anxiety.

The soldier laughs and points with his gun towards the phone on the wall, “Go ahead, try it if you got the balls to do it. I’ll shoot your head off before you make it to the phone.”

Brian gulps and shakes his head, “Get out of my house. You’re trespassing!” He states with indignation.

The soldier chuckles and steps out of the kitchen, holding the kitchen door with his foot, he raises the magnum directly in front of Brian’s face. Pulling on the trigger, a hissing bullet pops out, racing towards Brian. Brian stands there in shock as the whizzing bullets skims his left shoulder and hits its awaited target. His wife.

He turns around to hear a loud gasp coming from his wife. She stands there frozen from behind the counter, her golden tresses covered in her own dark crimson drops of blood. Her face seemed emotionless as she collapses onto the floor behind the kitchen counter. Brian races over to her, screaming out in pure fear. Cradling his wife in his arms, he cries out, “Leigh, don’t you dare give up honey ok! Stay here sweetie, don’t close your eyes. Stay with me, ok.” He says choked up, the soft sobs erupting from his throat.

He hears the thumping of the soldiers’ boot approaching them. Brian turns his head and looks up to see the masked soldier aiming his gun at Brian. “I’m from CAPPA. This ain’t over boy. Why don’t you join your wife now?” The soldier’s muffled voice states as he aims the gun at Brian’s head and pulls the trigger. The bullet waste no time and strikes Brian in the center of his forehead.

He snaps open his eyes and bolts upright in bed hearing the distance scream coming closer. He realizes he was the one screaming as he looks around and scans the surrounding. He was in his bedroom and his wife was sleeping peacefully besides him. He was surprised his wife was sill asleep with all his yelling. A cold sweat was beginning to form on his forehead as he sits up and rubs his weary eyes. It’s been over three weeks since the demise of CAPPA and the memories of it dwelled in his mind consistently. He closes his eyes for second before heading to the bathroom in the dimly dark bedroom. He steps into the cold white tiles and flips the switch, the harsh bright yellow florescent light invades his sensitive eyes. His azure eyes squint trying to adjust to the sudden lighted room. He shakes a bit for no particular reason and stares into the bathroom mirror. Sleep was becoming too difficult for him since the recent incident with CAPPA. It wasn’t the first time he dreamed those nightmares. It haunted him in the day at times when his mind would wander off. He splashes come cold water onto his face and peers at his reflection. He looked pale, ashen, like he missed sleep for over week. His bloodshot eyes gaze at the mirror. He walks out the bathroom and turns off the light, making his way back to the bed. Suddenly the high pitch ringing of the phone breaks the dead silence.

Sighing, he picks up the phone frightened that something serious called have happened to someone. He disliked the late night phone calls for they never have any good news to say.

Gulping, he whispers a quiet hello as he was greeted by a soft voice of Howie.

“D? Hey what the call so late? Is everything ok?” Brian whispers careful not to wake his wife.

“I know, I’m sorry it’s so late, but I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to talk with someone but I couldn’t get through with anyone else.” Howie whispers on the phone.

Brian smiles, “Yeah, well I see why you couldn’t get through to the others, they’re all asleep.”

He hears Howie chuckle and sighs, “Yeah, I’m sorry again for waking you up.”

“You didn’t wake me up, don’t worry about it. So tell me D, what’s wrong man?” Brian whispers, picking up the cordless phone. He walks over to the balcony that was attached to his room, sliding the glass pane door and stepping on the granite ground, the inviting breeze greets his presence.

“I’ve been thinking about the girls. Since the day we left, I couldn’t get in contact with Ana or the other girls.” Howie whispers.

“I’m sure Ana is doing well. In fact, the last I heard she moved in with Jamelet and Summer. Natalie makes visit every once in while to see Ana’s condition.” Brian states quietly, eying the dark sky.

“Oh, ok. Well good. Do you know where they live? I’m considering making a stop by to say hi. I miss them.” Howie whispers gently.

Brian smirks, “No, you miss Ana, let’s get real.”

Howie laughs, “Yeah, I do. But I wanna know what happened to Alison, Paige, Kimberly and Rose.”

Brian shakes his head, “I don’t know about them. They moved back with their family. I’m not even sure if they contacted anyone since the hospital.”

Howie sighs, “Oh well, I hope their ok.”

“I’m sure they are.” Brian responses softly, turning his head, peering inside the bedroom to see his wife calling his in, she beckons him to join him on bed.

Brian chuckles and blows her kiss, “Yo D, listen, my baby is calling me to go back to sleep. We’ll talk later in the morning k D? Try to get some sleep and stop worrying about them. I’m sure they’re doing well.”

Both men say their finals and hang up the phone. Brian smiles and takes a deep cold breath before returning to his wife on the bed.
~*~

Nick steps into the shower, welcoming the hot water to his aching body. He was extremely tired and sleep has not been the easiest thing for him. He watches the spray of water hitting his warm skin, as his thoughts turn back to the girls and what happened to them. He managed to have contact with Rose through e-mail but he was sensing some tension from her. He didn’t understand why she would be upset with him, he didn’t do anything to her. Through the pounding water coming from the shower, he could hear his phone ring from his room. He jumps out the shower, grabbing a towel wrapping it around his waist. He races over to the phone and glances at the clock before answering the call. Who would call at 3:30 in the morning? Nervously, fearing the worst at these late night calls, he responses with a hello.

“Hey Nick did I catch you at a bad time?” A.J. gruff voice filters his ears.

Smiling, Nick shakes his head, “Yeah pretty much. I was in the shower.”

“Oh my back dude. I just wanted to talk with someone. I tried calling Howie but his line was busy and Kevin was out of the night. I just wanted to make a quick call to you and see how everything is going.” A.J asks concerns.

“I’m ok. Trying to let the whole thing with you know what, the ‘c’ word leave my mind. But it’s hard. I can’t get any good sleep.” Nick whispers, fiddling with the edges of his green towel.

“I hear you buddy, same here man. And the thought of the girls still are on my mind. I got in touch with Summer like two weeks ago, but that’s about it? Anything with you?”

“Na, I emailed Rose and she told me Paige and Alison are doing extremely well. Their back in school and everything. In fact Kimberly emailed Rose the other to let her know that she was happy to be back with her family.” Nick says with a small smile on his face.

“Yeah, I guess they got what they all wanted a normal life.” A.J. states.
“Yup, I guess so.” Nick whispers as they say goodbye and hang up. Nick sighs and heads back to the shower that was interrupted by the call.
~*~

Kevin rolls onto his right side and stares at the glass pane doors of the balcony from his bed. Yawning, he feels his wife move around on the bed, adjusting herself to a comfortable position to continue her sleep. Kevin rubs his tired emerald eyes and rolls over to face his wife, wrapping his left arm around her waist. He smiles, he was happy to be back with his family but there was a nagging feeling that this peaceful feeling wouldn’t last. The dreams, or rather nightmares haunted his sleep since CAPPA was gone. He tried to sleep away the problems but that was of no use. He closes his eyes and tries not to think about all the worries that are plaguing his mind at the moment. He shifts closer to his wife and places his head in the nook of her neck. He smiles and closes his eyes in hopes that at least tonight, he will get some sleep.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 2 - Surprising Updates

Summer gives an agitated sigh as she pushes herself away from the computer station. She could hear the steady thumps of bass from Ana’s music system. Summer tugged back her blonde locks as she scurried toward the kitchen. Wonderful aromas flooded through the airy home as Jamelet prepared their evening dinner. The walls continued to vibrate with Ana’s music as Summer leaned against the dishwasher. “It’s official, Jamelet, I’m the mother of a hell-bound teenager!”
Jamelet laughed with amusement, “Ana isn’t a hell-bound teenager – she’s an adult!”

“No, correction, the child has just started her first year of college and is only eighteen – that means that Ana is still a growing child and in need of our care. Therefore, the obvious conclusion is that we’re mothers of said child,” Summer corrected with a roll of her eyes.

“Are you trying to tell me that you think we’re married?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you love me?” Jamelet teased, batting her dark eyelashes at Summer. She wiggled her hips as she poured a batter into the frying pan. Summer’s eyes grew wide as Jamelet blew a kiss toward her. “We’ll have to find out what state accepts homosexual marriages… Ana will be so thrilled that her Mommys are getting married. After all, she’s such a wee little tyke and needs a good home—”

“I get the point,” Summer gagged, not wanting Jamelet’s flirting any longer.

Jamelet blew a kiss.

“Jamelet, stop!” Summer whined, turning physically ill at the idea. She held her stomach as Jamelet burst into a tight fit of laughter. Summer’s eyes turned dark with annoyance. “The only marrying I will be doing is when AJ breaks up with his girlfriend and calls me with a one-way ticket to Florida—”

“AJ already broke up with his girlfriend and we are living in Florida.”

“When did you get so sarcastic?”

“When Ana moved in with us permanently,” Jamelet quipped as Summer finally laughed. Jamelet had managed to track down Ana’s mother a few months ago, but Ana’s mother had completely rejected Ana. Her mother was living in a posh section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a husband and a son. It was easier to tell Ana that her mother had died then to explain the truth that Ana’s mother loathed the sight of Ana. So, Jamelet moved Ana to Florida with her and Summer and made her a permanent part of the family. Jamelet and Summer were beginning to treat Ana as if she were their daughter and it made it easier for Ana to cope with the drastic change.

Jamelet and Summer decided that it was best to move away from the upper east coast of America. They wanted to be farther away from the remains of CAPPA and the bitter images. The older girls also decided to take Ana toward warmer climate to enhance the power of Ana’s ice abilities. It also made it easier for Ana to keep her body somewhat warmer than what her body’s core temperature remained, even though her body core dropped dramatically the further south the girls traveled.

They settled in the small city of Palm Valley near the Florida and Georgia border. Their house was right upon the beach and cozy. It was extremely comfortable with several perks and a full lab in the basement to keep up on the latest changes in Ana’s powers. Both Jamelet and Summer had jobs at the two local hospitals while Ana traveled to college for her medical degree. Ana had proved to be an extremely intelligent woman and decided that she would dedicate her life to helping others through medicine. Jamelet and Summer couldn’t be prouder of their “child.”

“Any news?” Jamelet finally asked as she and Summer sat down at the kitchen table, grabbing two sodas from the fridge. Summer and Jamelet had become fast friends and loved to spend time with one another. The bonds from CAPPA remained strong.

“The girls each emailed me,” Summer announced proudly as she heard a heavy pounding from the steps. Ana had taken the loft area at the top of the house for her room. Everything that made life grand was provided for her. Jamelet did this because she felt guilty for Ana’s mother abandoning her. Ana was grateful for the time and energy Jamelet and Summer put into her life.

“The girls?” Ana chirped happily as she sauntered into the kitchen. She was a typical eighteen year old woman as she placed her hands into the back pockets of her dark jean flares. She wore a simple light blue t-shirt with the logo of ADIDAS printed on the front. Her long honey curls were tossed into a simple ponytail atop her head. Her blue-green eyes glistened with an impish nature.

“Yes, your other halves,” Summer laughed as Ana grabbed a soda from the fridge and sat on the table between Summer and Jamelet.

“What’d they have to say?” Jamelet asked. Alison, Kimberly, Rose, and Paige emailed the girls frequently during the summer. However, emails became less frequent with the passing of the school years. Jamelet and Summer understood the fact that their parents wanted them to forget about their past lives and abilities. It made it easier for the girls to become accustom to reality.

“Rose writes to say that they’re all doing fantastically. Rose is finally a senior enrolled in a normal high school. She’s thrilled with life and has a potential boyfriend in her sights… Alison and Paige keep in close contact since they live near each other. The girls are best friends. Kimberly lives near Rose, so they visit one another. They all ask that Ana write them as soon as possible. They send their love, too,” Summer announced, reaching for a doughnut from the purple box sitting at the side of the table.

“Normal teenage letters,” Jamelet chuckled as Ana leaned back on the table.

“Did they say anything about their powers?” Ana finally asked, glancing at Summer. Ana’s powers had grown tremendously over the past weeks. She could freely turn her body into the substances of ice, snow, and hail. She could produce deadly icicles from her flesh and send them at such a large force that they became embedded in the objects to which they were hurled at. Ana’s powers were overwhelming as she matured and become able to control her powers. She loved every minute of her gifts and found it amusing at college, but never told Jamelet and Summer for fear of being scolded.

“Rose says that her powers and the girl’s powers are completely gone. They haven’t used them at all and Rose tried on day but couldn’t produce anything. It’s amazing, but it seems to be erased from their brains. There’s been no bizarre outbreaks of their powers, but just a simple dormant stage. It’s amazing.”

“Wow,” Ana murmured.

“It’s possible,” Jamelet agreed, “But it’s for the best. They wanted normal lives for so long and now they have them. Not knowing how to conjure up their powers will be the nicest thing to happen to them in years.”

“That’s true,” Summer agreed.

“I’d never want to loose my powers!” Ana declared with pride as she jumped off the table. Jamelet and Summer gave her queer looks, causing Ana to smirk with amusement. Jamelet and Summer rolled their eyes as Ana tossed her empty can into the nearby recycling bin. “I like being able to control the snow and whatnot. I’ve had these powers since I can remember and I would be lost without them. Those girls wanted to be cured for the longest time – and now they are. But I don’t want to be cured. I’d rather have my powers than have a normal life.”

“Really?” Jamelet asked with amazement.

“Of course,” Ana chirped again as there was a chiming sound of the doorbell. Her eyes lit up with surprise and hopefulness. She had made quite an impression with the boys at her college. She hoped that it might be one of them. “Excuse me!” she giggled, running toward the living room with a fury of excitement.

“She’s definitely the diamond in the rough of this group,” Summer laughed.

“She’s what keeps us strong,” Jamelet agreed.

*~*~*

Ana peered into a nearby mirror as she hurriedly reached the front door. She flipped her honey blonde curls behind her shoulders as she pulled her ponytail tighter. She admired her beautiful reflection and plastered a flirty smile on her face. She tugged hard on the door, preparing to act surprised if it was one of the boys from the college. However, the act of surprise wasn’t necessary when she realized who was at the door.

“YOU GUYS!” she called with surprise.

Howie, AJ, and Nick shifted uncomfortably as they offered lame smiles. Howie’s cheeks were colored with a bright red at the sight of Ana. Something from the previous months still sparked in his soul as he admired her beautiful face. He hoped that she still felt the same. They were unable to keep close contact with the girls, but Nick did receive the occasional email from Jamelet which talked often of Ana’s hope that Howie would come visit.

“Hey, hope you don’t mind that we stopped by…” Howie trailed with a flustered smile.

“You… Orlando is miles from here!” Ana laughed.

“Well, we weren’t busy or anything. Brian and Kevin are spending quality time with their wives… AJ needed a break from his ex-girlfriend moving out… Nick and I were just bored. We wanted to come see you all. Jamelet gave Nick your address… We were curious. Is it a bad time?” Howie questioned.

“No! Not at all!”

“Can we come in?” AJ asked with a smile. Ana smirked back at him, opening the door wider. AJ and Ana were almost identical in personalities. Ana always had a good time when AJ was there to joke around with.

“Thank you,” Nick answered as Ana led them toward the living room.

“No problem at all,” Ana declared as she flashed a brilliant smile toward Howie. He felt his heart skip a beat as Nick pulled him down to sit on the couch. Ana flipped a stray curl away from her lovely blue-green eyes as she walked toward the kitchen calling for the older girls. “Summer and Jamelet are going to die!”
~*~

**~To Be Continued...~**

A/N: We’re backkk! Hehe. That’s right guys, the power duo are back to cast a spell in this trilogy! Hope you enjoy and please review, it helps us as writers know that we have an audience that is intrigued by the story! Thanks and take care!

“Termination of Sanity”

**~A Home Coming Visit~**

Ana giggling, burst through the swinging kitchen door with a smile that spread so wide across her delicate features.

Summer still sitting on a chair smirks at Ana, “So, is that boyfriend number three at the door for you?”

“Ha, ha. No you guys! You won’t believe who’s here to make a visit.” Ana shrieks happily, her emerald sapphire eyes lit up brightly.

Jamelet, who was checking the pancakes warming nicely on the frying pan, faces Ana. “Well Geez, please don’t keep us in suspense.” She responds sarcastically, rolling her light eyes at Ana.

Ana pouts and then smiles before she burst with the news, “It’s Howie, Nick and A.J.!”

Jamelet shakes her head, “Sure and Britney and Christina are coming over later today to have some tea. Really Ana, come on girl. Don’t play with me like that.” She responds irritated, not buying the whole answer that came from Ana.

“No, really! They’re here! They’re sitting in the sofa right now, they wanted to see how everything is going with us! I’m serious about this! Come take a look for you self!” Ana squeals in excitement as she drags Summer off her chair and pulls her out the kitchen door.

Ana stands in the living room, watching Summer’s facial expressions change from surprise to joy in just a matter of seconds. “Well, see. I wasn’t lying. I can’t believe you would think I, little ol’ me would try to set up a trick on you. I’m so ashamed at you, Summer.” She teases as Summer stands there in shock, watching A.J. greet her and pull her into his strong embrace.

“OH MY GOD!!” Summer screams out happily, sending Jamelet to burst through the door.

“What, what happened?” Jamelet asks concerned until she saw the three men before her.

“I can’t believe it! You guys are really here!” Jamelet whispers as she gazes at the three men star struck. She cups her hand over her mouth, trying not to scream out in glee about how excited she really was to see the guys here.

“I would have thought for sure, you guys have long forgotten about us. I mean I, I , I got tickets. To, you know. To see you guys in concert.” Jamelet mumbles softly as her cheeks burn a blazing red in embarrassment. “I’m sorry Ana for not believing ya!” She turns to Ana and winks to her before she embraces Howie, Nick and A.J.

“Yup, you should be. You know I wouldn’t lie about these things.” Ana teases in a smugly tone, yet a tease of smile wavers in the corners of her lips.

“I don’t even know where to begin. How’s life been for you guys?” Jamelet whispers, her cheeks now a pale pink as her excitement dies down.

“Great, couldn’t have been better. I mean, we’ve been on a break now so I can’t wait to hit the studio and start lying down some tracks.” Nick stands, his arms still lingering around Jamelet’s waist.

A.J. clears his throat, as he throws his arms around Summer and wraps her again in a hug, “We missed ya. I mean we all been through so much, it would be a diss to not see how our friends are doing.”

“Friends, we’re your friends? That’s so cool man.” Ana pipes up, staring deeply into Howie’s memorizing dark eyes.

“Yeah friends, or maybe if someone wanted it to be more than that, we’ll see what happens.” Howie whispers loud enough for only Ana to hear. She feels her heart race at the possible thought of what that statement could have meant.

“This is quite a surprise, we had no idea as you can tell, we’re quite a mess.” Summer blushes faintly, wiping away a small white pancake smear off her cheek.

“I say the batter looks good on you. You can start a trend, the whole batter thing working for ya. And a plus side of it, is if you get hungry you can always lick that off.” A.J. teases, poking Summer on her side as everyone laughs.

Summer playfully pushes A.J. away and hurries to the kitchen to check on the mixture in the frying pan.

A.J. smirks and watches as Jamelet asks Nick if he received any new e-mails from Rose.

“Rose? Rose, right. Uh, no.” Nick whispers, his cheeks tinge in a slight pink as he stares at Jamelet who’s brown locks were hanging loosely over her shoulders. A few seconds of silence floated in the air, before Jamelet responds.

“I know, I know. The hair is wack right now. But like Summer said, you caught us off guard.” Jamelet states, her hands on her hips as Nick blushes and gazes at the light carpet below him.

“No, you’re hair is just fine. You look beautiful.” Nick states as A.J. smirks poking Ana on her ribs sending her into a fit of giggles.

“Dude you make it so obvious. Just ask her already! God, you’re tormenting me over here.” A.J. responses as Howie chuckles under his breath.

“Nick don’t pay attention to A.J. He’s just messing with ya.” Howie says with a grin on his cinnamon sun tanned face.

“Ask me what?” Jamelet states concerned as the thought of CAPPA news crawls back, invading her peaceful soul.

Nick rolls his azure eyes and tugs on Jamelet arm, pulling her towards the front door, “I’ll talk with her outside, without any of you bothering me.” Nick mutters sending A.J. into a burst of laughter.

Jamelet confused, gazes at Howie who simply shrugs his shoulders to her unspoken question. Following the tall blonde out the door, Jamelet steps outside. Summer comes back into the living room curious, “What’s up with Nick? He’s a bit spacey today.”

A.J. slowly crawls his fingers around her small waist, “When is he not spacey? Nothing new there.”

Summer grins, her emerald eyes taking in the man before her. “So” She starts the conversation nervously, “How’s the moving out going?”

“Doing good, I just got tired of her. Things weren’t working out.”

“Oh I’m sorry to hear that.” Summer whispers, her short blonde tresses fall inches above her shoulders.

A.J. smiles, “Don’t be. It was for the best I suppose.”

Ana and Howie race over to the window overlooking the front terrier and beautiful clear blue ocean and beach.

“Nice place by the way.” A.J. whispers to Summer as his fingers fold into hers romantically.

“Thanks, I got the connection I guess.” Summer whispers never looking away from A.J.’s dark mysterious eyes.

Howie and Ana chuckle as they peer out the window to see what was going on with Nick and Jamelet.

“Hey, I hope I didn’t scare you in there, when A.J. said to ask you something. And don’t worry it’s not about CAPPA.” Nick whispers to her as she lets out a big sigh. ‘At least not yet’ He thinks to himself.

“Good thing too, I don’t think I can handle any more news about that place.” She whispers, gazing at the bright ocean, the soft gentle breeze embracing her.

“It’s about me.” Nick whispers.

Jamelet smiles, “Nick look, I don’t know if its right for us to start dating right now, I mean it’s a bit weird with the past we have, I’ll need time.”

“What? Girl what are you talking about?” Nick asks confused, his eyes clouded in distress.

“I thought you were gonna ask me to uh… never mind.” Jamelet says utterly embarrassed at this point.

“I was gonna ask you what?” Nick asks lifting her chin up with his fingers to look into her light eyes.

“Nothing, nothing at all. Sorry man.” Jamelet smiles.

Nick laughs, “Actually since you brought it up, how about I take you out to dinner tonight. Just you and I. Without A.J. teasing us and Howie looking all proud and stuff. You know, like friends.” Nick whispers playfully.

Jamelet laughs, “Ok, sounds cool. Hey are you sure that’s all you wanted to say? I thought you had to tell me something about you.”

Nick gulps, his real intentions had nothing to do with his wanting to date the young woman, though he didn’t mind that idea. But he can wait to figure out his feelings about her later. That wasn’t the important thing at the moment though he would hear it from the other guys. How was he to break the news to her that his powers are losing control? That in fact the purpose he and the other two guys came was to find out what was going on with their powers. The powers seems to have taken a mind of its own at times. When he would take his dog for a walk, a trial of fire comes shooting out for no apparent reason, when bathing: the water would boil to an immense heat that should be fatal for flesh yet nothing happens to him. That his other house in California blew up in flames the moment he stepped onto his property. He needed to find out why he couldn’t control his powers anymore. The others guys are experiencing similar events.

A.J.’s telekinesis power have expanded to the point that it was truly frightening. A.J., like Nick, can not seem to control the ability any more. His powers almost killed him not that long ago when driving down a road in the night. Nick recalls A.J.’s scary phone call that left A.J. shaken up. It seemed while driving, a truck ahead of A.J.’s vehicle stopped and charged towards his car. The problem was there was no driver was in the truck. It was like the truck was moving on its own towards his direction. A.J. had explained how he swerved just in time to avoid the fatal crash with the large truck but slammed into a tree, damaging the license plate of his new black Mercedes.

“Nick, what is it?” Jamelet voice snaps Nick out of his thoughts.

“Nothing.” He shakes his head weakly, “Nothing for you to worry about.” He couldn’t do it. He can’t break the bad news to her. He feels bad as he gazes at her happy smile, he couldn’t remember what it felt like to smile and not worry about someone coming after him. He didn’t have the nerves to damage that pretty smile on her face. He’ll have to wait for that later tonight. For some reason, the young doctor held a special place in his heart, if it wasn’t for her determination to see them all safe, he wouldn’t know where he’d be. If he told her that not only did he find his powers acting up but that he heard from Kevin who did research on CAPPA: that the company was bought by someone, she would just be devastated.

‘You gotta tell the girls. Let them know ASAP. I think we’re not out of this by a long shot.’ Nick recalled what Kevin had told him earlier today. It scared him to know that again his life along with the others could be endangered again. Nick didn’t know how to break this to the doctor so he figured taking her out to dinner to ease her nerves might work.

“Are you sure?” She asks gently, the breeze ruffling her dark brown locks.

Nick simply nods his head and licks his lower lip gently, “Ye, yeah. That’s all. We’ll talk later, we’re being watched.”

Jamelet turns her head in time to see Howie and Ana’s face in the window with a huge grin plastered on their face. Laughing she turns to Nick, “Hey, I think they want to see some action. How about we give it to them?”

Nick laughs and nods his head, “Alright, I think we can arrange that.” And with that pulls the petite woman into his arms and gently touches his lips across hers and in the background he can hear squeals and shouts bellowing from inside the house. Nick pulls away from the young woman as they laugh.

“You think they’re gonna talk?” Jamelet asks, raising her dark eyebrows.

“We’ll never hear the end of it.” Nick whispers as that statement reflects CAPPA’s emerging.

Jamelet giggles and places her small hands into his hand and tugs him towards the entrance of the house, “I’m sure we’ll never see this end.”

Nick sighs, gulping down the fear that is itching his soul, “You have no idea.” And they both enter the house.
~*~

The greyhound bus pulls up to its station and opens its door for the passengers to evacuate the premises.

Coby inhales the sweet salty air of Florida air. He had just returned from Rhode Island to see the ashes and remains of the former company CAPPA and decided to head back home to Florida to concoct a plan to bring CAPPA back. He passes his hands through his dark black hair and sighs, “Soon, it’ll be time to play. I hope you experiments are ready for some fun.” He chuckles softly to himself as he walks out the bus terminal and hails a taxi. Getting in the taxi and giving the driver directions, he leans back in the cool worn leather seat and pulls out a written piece of paper that withheld the construction plans to create a new CAPPA building in Florida. He thought it would be easier to get away with things in the southern area of the United States, since there is so much security up north. Plus most of his alliances live in the nearby southern states to help out with the rise of CAPPA. Smiling, he gazes out the window as buildings pass by in a blur. “Yup, only a few days till the plan comes to action. Gotta rest up for that. Dad, I’m gonna do this right, the way it should have done from the beginning.” His grey eyes scan the wrinkle folded paper as he places it back into his gym bag as he grabs his black suitcase pulls out a manila folder pertaining all the background of the Experiment 1B along with the employers who worked with them. ‘This will be fun.” He whispers quietly to himself, his grey eyes sparkling in glee.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 4 - Reunited Hearts

Nick tapped his foot nervously as he stared at Jamelet across the checkered table in the local restaurant. She had picked the restaurant for its fantastic cuisine and Nick could not disagree. However, he wouldn’t contradict Jamelet in a million years. He could never argue with a beautiful woman like Jamelet. He still couldn’t believe how radiant she looked – more beautiful than with the pancake mix in her hair. Her soft brown curls lay gently against her petite shoulders as she stared deeply at him with her chocolate colored irises. She folded her small hands in her lap, leaning back on the chair listening to him babble about something unimportant.

“Are you okay, Nick?” Jamelet finally voiced, leaning forward ever so slightly. Nick fell backward in his chair when Jamelet leaned forward. His eyes were wide in shock, causing Jamelet to laugh into her hand. Burning embarrassment flushed Nick’s cheeks, causing him to slouch in his seat. Jamelet placed her hand upon his own against the table. “I realize that there are some things you need to talk about and when you’re ready – I’m here.”

“What?” Nick gulped down, feeling butterflies collecting in his stomach. His hands started to tingle as if fire would shoot out of them. Nick pulled his hand away and placed them in his lap, hoping to calm his body’s reactions. A recent development in his gift was that when Nick had a severe emotional swing – his body would release his powers with no control.

“You definitely want to talk about something,” Jamelet answered with a coy smile.

“I never said—”

“You didn’t have to say – your powers did the talking,” Jamelet answered, pointing to his hands which had turned a fiery red. Nick winced and grabbed an ice cube from his drink, covering with his hands beneath the table. He sighed with relief as the coldness circulated. Jamelet smiled again. Leaning forward to whisper secretly to Nick. “Nick, don’t feel too bad. Ana’s powers act in the same way. She came home one day from college and a hailstorm was actually following her. She cursed and then this huge bolder of ice smashed onto the porch. That burst of uncontrollable evolution happened when she reached eighteen.”

“Really?” he asked curiously.

“Yeah, these gifts go through a series of evolution. I don’t know what triggers it, but it happens with Ana. The other girls completely lost theirs. It’s odd, but true. They have no control and can’t conjure up the powers. I find it fascinating, but it’s the best for the others.”

“So, Ana went through bad times and good times with her powers for the past couple of months?” Nick asked with relief. Howie and AJ would be glad to know that they were not the only ones experiencing the tides of disaster.

“Yeah, you can ask her about it. She’s learned to control the periods really well. She’s advanced so fast without Summer and me. It’s completely boggling, but she’s adamant about controlling her powers.”

“That’s amazing.”

“She’s an amazing kid.”

Nick chewed on his bottom lip, concentrating on Jamelet’s chocolate eyes. He wanted to tell her and knew that he could trust her. He waited until the waiter brought out their food. He smiled politely, silently telling the man to buzz off. The waiter scurried away and Nick leaned forward to grab a slice of pizza. He smiled as Jamelet rolled her eyes at him. He was so carefree around her. She had a way of making the biggest of problems melt away in a soft smile. “Um…Jamelet?” Nick whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Howie, J, and I… well… we’ve been having some problems.”

“Problems? You mean with AJ’s ex-girlfriend? I heard she was a real terror for A.J. The poor guy. Ana said that she could freeze the girl’s lips to a pole to give AJ some hours of sanity—”

“No, that’s not the only problem.”

“Do you miss us?” Jamelet asked with a sincere smile.

“Well, of course we miss you.”

“You can always call us. That’s not that much of a problem.”

“Jamelet, you don’t understand–”

“Don’t understand what?”

“Howie, AJ, and I have problems with our powers,” Nick hissed in frustration, causing Jamelet to grow extremely quiet. Nick groaned, muttering a curse under his breath. He didn’t want to upset her. He just wanted to tell her what was happening, because he trusted her. He glanced down at his hands, noting that the fiery coloring had returned. He bit down on his bottom lip, trying to control the frustration levels. He began to speak quietly, “We’re having the same problems as Ana. Howie sneezed once and electricity shot out of his body and almost fried his cat. Howie also turned neon yellow one night and almost blinded us. Then AJ was sleeping at my house and I woke up in time to see my desk from my music room hovering over my head! AJ was even floating off the floor one day and disappeared – we couldn’t find him for hours. Then I’m starting fires and I’ve actually burst into flames. There’s other things that are happening, but those are just for starters. It’s horrible and we can’t control it.”

Jamelet nodded thoughtfully, setting her piece of pizza on her plate. She figured that the boys would go through dramatic changes like the first time their powers emerged. As each person gained more control of their powers, the powers would grow in strength. “Are Kevin and Brian expediting the same issues?”

“No. Just us three. That’s why we came to see you.”

Jamelet’s eyes went wide with pain. She watched Nick wince as soon as the words flew from his mouth, but the damage had already done. She bowed her head, looking at her hands. She tried to muster up the courage that Ana always seemed to flood with, but found herself faltering in the department. She had thought that Nick was interested in something more than just studying their gifts. Jamelet nodded to herself, finally glancing back up. She spoke quickly before Nick could attempt to correct himself, “We have a private lab in the basement of our home built especially for Ana, but your gifts will be contained in the lab nonetheless. I’ll take a look at what’s developing tomorrow morning in time to have you home before Monday. I know you didn’t plan on staying long, anyway.”

“Jamelet—”

“It’s not a problem. I’ll inform Summer of our plans when we return home. I’m sure Ana will be excited to show you her talents in the basement. She has some wonderful techniques to share and I find she’s getting bored just demonstrating to Summer and me,” Jamelet interrupted, finding a way to change the subject. She felt a little silly bringing up Ana all of a sudden, but that was Jamelet’s motherly instincts. When things were going well – just talk about the children and things will smooth itself out.

Nick looked defeated, knowing that he couldn’t switch the topic without causing a massive typhoon of emotions. He smiled, pretending as if his stupidity hadn’t caused the downfall of his relationship with Jamelet. At least he had told her about the first problem, which was the first step. Maybe he could convince Howie or AJ to talk to Jamelet about CAPPA, because Nick didn’t want to worsen the relationship further. He sighed softly, deciding it was best to move on from his idiotic remark. “I think Ana will just be interested in showing Howie her new powers.”

“Ana is smitten with Howie, no doubt.”

“Likewise for Sunshine.”

“Sunshine?”

Nick snickered, “We have stupid nicknames for each other now. Our gifts have replaced the old nicknames, well, at least AJ and I use the new nicknames. The other guys just get pissed at us, but it’s funny. My name is Smoke. Kevin is named Laser-Eye. Brian is named Deadly. ”

“And AJ?”

“It’s funnier if he tells you.”

“I’ll be sure to ask him.”



*~*~*



AJ rolled his eyes as Ana continued telling an outrageous story of being trapped in an elevator with ten pornographic men. Ana was always outrageous, but AJ thought that she might actually be telling the truth for once. He laughed as the waves rolled out from the ocean and lapped gently against her pale ankles. He had been spending more time with Ana than Summer for the night. Summer had taken Howie around the home to show him what they had accomplished since CAPPA’s demise, but AJ decided he’d rather have some fun with Ana than be lectured. He thought Summer was captivating and sexy, but he hated lectures. He quickly ran out to join Ana on the sandy beach. The girl was zany and always unpredictable for AJ. He liked that. He found it amazing that Ana lived next to the beach, but still remained the color of snow. He knew it was because of her gifts, but he imagined that many people commented on her skin tone.

“Whitey, do you ever stop talking?” AJ finally asked once Ana had stopped to take a breath from her story. He smirked as she rolled her eyes at him. AJ shrugged his shoulders and began to draw a mound of sand before him to make a sandcastle.

“Did you just call me Whitey?” Ana asked, forgetting completely about the story she had just been engaged in.

“Yes, I believe that’s what I just called you. It definitely suites you, darling,” AJ teased, pointing to her long pale legs. “You’ve spent how many months out on this ocean and you’re still a sheet in the wind. I find it highly amusing.”

“You won’t find it amusing when I put one of these ghost legs up your—”

“Woah, aren’t we feisty!” AJ hooted, causing a smile to break out on Ana’s face. “I definitely missed your mouth, let me tell you!”

Ana remained thoughtful for a moment, sitting down on the sand beside AJ. She watched him sculpt the castle of sand carefully and with much determination. She glanced back upward toward her home to see Howie and Summer engaged in a conversation on the sun porch. Summer continued to stare at AJ while Howie spoke with her – it was obvious to Ana that Summer longed to speak with AJ privately. She made a mental note to make sure the two were alone later on tonight. Ana shelved the thought as she cast another glance toward the porch, accidentally catching Howie’s gaze. She blushed furiously, averting her gaze to catch AJ staring at her. “What?” she yelped with embarrassment.

“Were we drooling over some older Latino on the sun porch of our home?” AJ tormented Ana in a sing-song voice, causing her to blush again. “My, my, my – I knew that you two were interested in one another, but this much of an attraction? The Lord must be shining down on you, Whitey.”

“Shut up,” Ana muttered, growing frustrated at AJ’s laughter. “At least I didn’t hit on someone the second I broke up with my significant other and during the relationship with that former significant other.”

AJ stopped working on his castle. “What, Whitey?”

“You like Summer, Einstein.”

“Hey!” AJ whined, starting to turn red.

“Did I just hit a soft-spot?”

“Yes.”

“Good. The feeling is mutual.”

“I’ll shut up if you shut up about it – okay?” AJ concluded, looking into Ana’s sapphire-emerald eyes for some sort of confirmation. AJ and Ana were too wrapped up in themselves to really admit their true feelings for the people gathered on the porch. They were too much alike and could read each other like a book – making it easy to torment the other. AJ also knew when he had pushed it too far with Ana’s emotions. She was still younger than him – no matter how mature she acted.

“Deal, so finish your castle and I’ll make my own,” Ana bubbled, changing the topic as if she were choosing a different soda to drink. AJ rolled his eyes and went back to creating his castle. Ana smirked as she watched him concentrated on adding a series of windows to a tower – she could make something better. She hurriedly placed her hands out in front of her and closed her eyes. She conjured a lovely picture of an ice castle in her mind.

“Whitey—” AJ’s voice dropped when he saw Ana’s eyes burst open. Her irises were a brilliant white as an icy mixture exploded from her fingertips. AJ fell backward as the ice layered on top of itself and twisted into Ana’s magnificent sculpture. The brilliant colors of the sun exploded through the sheets of ice and glistened in the prism colors. Large towers, gates, and even miniature people were molded from Ana’s fingertips in a few minutes. When Ana ended, she smirked with pride and topped off her castle with an icy dragon looming over the tallest tower.

“I beat you,” she declared.

“Why… Ana… Oh…” AJ was at a loss for words. She had used her powers out in public. Anyone could have seen the ice castle being formed from her fingers and it wasn’t even melting! He jumped up from his knees, pulling at his thick black curls. Ana stared at Alex with confusion, which caused Alex to explode with raw fury. He feared for her life. “How can you be so foolish! Using your powers out in the open! It’s not right! You could be taken away for those foolish pranks! After all you’ve been through – you’re so careless! Anastacia! How can you jeopardize yourself, Jamelet, and Summer like that?! Those women have done so much for you and you repay them by blowing your cover!”

Ana smiled warmly, not offended by AJ’s reaction to her freeness. She pulled him down to her height to speak with him. He looked infuriated, but did not protest. “AJ – Summer and Jamelet allow me to use my powers freely. We’re completely secluded from everyone in the city. This is our private beach. Jamelet and Summer encourage me to practice and I want to practice. I use my gifts all the time without consequences. Summer and Jamelet even built me a lab downstairs so they can monitor all of my progress. You’ll have to check it out. I’m completely independent when it comes my gifts.”

AJ clearly wasn’t satisfied. He grunted, sitting back and bracing himself with his hands. Ana watched him, waiting for AJ to say something. Finally, unable to control his fears for Ana being captured, he growled, “Don’t you realize that your independent streak could kill you!?”

“It didn’t kill Kelly Clarkson,” Ana quipped with amusement.

“What?” AJ blurted, completely baffled.

Ana stood up and disincarnated her ice castle with a small flick of her hand. It melted into an icy puddle, draining into the ocean. She hummed softly, striking up a beat. And without a cue, Ana burst into melody. AJ looked horror-stricken in the sand as she danced around him singing. “Miss Independent walked away / No time for love that came her way / She looked in the mirror and thought today / What happened to Miss No Longer Afraid / It took some time for her to see / How beautiful love could truly be / No more talk of why can’t that be me / I’m so glad that I finally see.”

AJ couldn’t help but laugh as Ana swayed into the sea doing her own little dance. Her voice was beautifully harmonized and strong. AJ admitted that she was good and could probably make it as a singer, but he’d never tell her that. Ana would rather die than perform in front of millions with just a simple act of singing. She was made for the medical field – not the stage. Laughing at the thought, AJ stood up and brushed his hands off on his shorts, finally calling out to Ana. “You do realize that you have that song completely backwards, right?”

Ana’s voice stopped immediately as she glanced back at him. “What?”

“Miss Independent is about a girl losing her independence when she falls in love.”

Ana’s jaw dropped open, causing AJ to burst into laughter. “Are you serious, J?”

“Seriously serious. Are you dropping hints to Howie by singing that song – or are you truly blonde?”

“I’m truly blonde,” Ana quipped.

“Oh you little rat!” AJ roared, running out toward the ocean while a wave was rolling in. He grabbed Ana by the waist and pulled her straight into the middle of the wave. She sputtered and gagged as they both crashed into the waves, but came up wanting more. She dove at AJ, knocking him into the waves and waging war.



*~*~*



“Those two are truly nuts,” Summer laughed as she watched Ana dive to tackle AJ back into another huge wave. The two in the sea shrieked and called each other names that Howie and Summer couldn’t even understand. It seemed that sometimes Ana and AJ had their own private language. Summer shrugged her slim shoulders as she sat down next to Howie in a nearby chair. He was staring at the ocean with a look of true jealousy. Summer smirked, knowing very well what Howie was thinking. “Howie, do you think I should shave my head bald?”

“Hmmm? Oh, yeah, Summer, that’d be great.”

“You’ve definitely got it bad for her.”

“Yes, I do,” Howie sighed.

“Howie!” Summer exploded with giggles.

Howie finally tuned into Summer’s laughter. He stared at her as if she were an alien. Summer held her stomach as she continued to giggle. Howie sighed, rolling his eyes. He had been left out of the conversation apparently. He glanced back to see AJ attacking Ana with splashes of ocean water. He longed to be out in the ocean attacking Ana, but he acted so awkwardly around her. He couldn’t believe that a female could put such a trance on him. He knew that he needed to sort something out before he went completely crazy.

“You’re priceless,” Summer finally wheezed, coming out of her laughter.

“Why?” Howie asked with irritation.

“She’s just a girl.”

“Who’s just a girl?”

“Ana.”

“Ana?” Howie asked, trying to play dumb.

“You’re hopeless, too,” Summer laughed as the backdoor slid open. She watched Nick and Jamelet walked onto the porch with a container of leftovers. She smiled, winking at Jamelet. The woman just rolled her eyes, brushing off Summer’s obvious question. “We’re just entertaining ourselves with AJ and Ana’s antics. Would you care to join us?”

“Antics?” Nick asked curiously, peering over the porch. His eyes lit up with amusement as Ana grabbed onto AJ’s neck and pulled him back under the waves. Nick eagerly waved his hands. “ANA! AJ! WE’RE BACK! HEY! LOOK OVER HERE! STOP FLIRTING LONG ENOUGH TO SEE ME!”

Summer and Howie grew dramatically quiet as Jamelet suppressed a groan. Nick was still traditional Nick – not realizing what kind of effect his words had on others. However, he did grab Ana’s attention long enough for her to get pummeled by AJ’s splashing attacks. “WE’RE COMING!” AJ finally shouted. “I JUST HAVE TO TEACH WHITEY A LESSON!”

“Whitey?” Jamelet questioned with surprise.

Howie, Summer, and Nick shrugged their shoulders.

“ANASTACIA! GET UP HERE!” Summer finally shouted, acting like a mother.

“COMING! BECAUSE IT’S SLUMBER PARTY TIME!” Ana declared with a fit of laughter, jumping onto AJ one last time before running up the beach for refuge.
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**

A/N: Hey everyone, this is the new chapter to the action packed trilogy. Enjoy this chapter and please leave a review. You readers are the best, thanks!!

“Termination of Sanity”

**~Frightening After Effects~**

Brian cradles the phone handle, hearing it ring on the other line. “Kevin, come on. Pick it.” He whispers, looking out his porch window. Finally as he was about to hang out, he hears his cousin’s voice on the phone.

“Hello?” Kevin asks, on the phone line.

Brian lifts the phone handle up to his ears as he whispers out hoping his wife wouldn’t hear him, “Kevin?”

“Yeah, hey Brian what’s up?”

“Something’s up. It’s terrible.” Brian chokes out as he squeezes the black handle.

Kevin glances from the plate of food he was eating at the restaurant with his wife. His wife glances up from her plate concerned.

“Brian what’s wrong?” Kevin whispers, eyeing his wife who stares intensely at him.

“It’s oh God! My power, its going crazy! I, I, I can’t control it! I, I was walking down the block today, taking Tyke for a walk, when I saw a couple stare at me and then die! Kev, they took one look at me and literally leaned over and died! I went to them and check their pulse. Kev, they died just by looking at me and…”

“Whoa wait hold up, Brian let’s not jump into conclusions. How do you even know that had anything to do with you?!” Kevin’s voice raises a pitch high as customers passing by stare at him strangely.

“I know it is, people don’t have cardiac arrest after they see me! Kevin, I could feel their heart beats as they were dying, it was pounding in my head so loudly! Kev, something’s wrong. I, I killed an innocent guy.” Brian whispers into the phone as he curls up on the sofa, clutching the phone tightly in his hands.

“Huh?” Kevin whispers, his eyes darting nervously around at the crowd that was staring at him a few tables away.

“Today I was walking down the park and a guy stopped me for an autograph for his niece and when I was sighing my name on a sheet of paper, the guy stared at me and I could hear his heart beating. I saw the guy grab his chest and he starts gagging, I see a river of blood spill out his mouth and then. Oh God Kevin… Then his, his chest…” Brian gasps as he continues, “His chest blew open as his heart splatters, flying out into pieces…” He chokes out.

Kevin’s mouth drops open in utter surprise. He could hear Brian sobbing over the phone line as his own heart drums rapidly. He whispers out that he will stop by and pick up Brian. He couldn’t leave his cousin there alone especially after what he’s been through and witness. “K, listen Brian did anyone see this when it happened?” He whispers quietly not knowing what else to say to comfort his cousin.

Brian whispers out, “Kevin, what about your powers, have they been acting up? I mean Nick, A.J. and Howie had issues with theirs, I’m thinking that’s the deal with us.”

Kevin pokes at the sautéed shrimp in front of him and lifts it up into his mouth. He chews on the shrimp, feeling his throat go dry. “Uhhh, listen, yeah. Stuff is happening. We’ll talk about this later, ok? I’m in a restaurant and I can’t talk too much k?”

He hears Brian sniff quietly, “O, ok. Man. Take it easy. I’ll be ok. You know I haven’t touched my wife today since the incident, thinking I might kill her.” Brian mumbles sadly.

Sighing, Kevin rubs his weary eyes, “Things will be ok. I’ll meet up with you tonight and give the doctors a call.”

“Ok, I don’t have Jamelet’s number, do you?” Brian nibbles on his lip.

“Ah, no I don’t, I thought you did.” Kevin mumbles as his wife kicks him under the table to inform her about what’s going on.

“Na, I only have Alison’s number and I think Summer’s email but she never responded.” Brian mutters.

Kevin sighs and shakes his head, “Damn, alright. Listen, I have Dr. Natalie’s number. I know she isn’t staying with the other girls but she can help us out. She’s our closest bet.”

“Great, we’ll call when you get here tonight.” Brian states as Kevin agrees and both hang up the phone. Kevin smiles at his wife and shakes his head, “You know how Brian over reacts about anything. Don’t worry about it honey.”

Kristin sighs and rolls her light eyes and she continues her meal. Kevin knew it must be eating away at her about what is really going on but for her safety, Kevin never told her the real reason of his powers or CAPPA. It was better than to tell her the whole story, he didn’t need her worrying her pretty head about it. Kevin stares down at his plate as the hunger left him. He wasn’t hungry anymore, the only thing that plagued his mind was Brian’s sudden destructive powers. Kevin seemed lost in thought as he thought of yesterday. Since the demise of CAPPA, his powers have been tamed but recently his powers have taken a turn for the worst. He was fixing the motor of his car when a sudden burning smell had infiltrated his nose. When he looked down he saw the red lasers spewing from his eyes in a deep concentration, burning the electric wires within the engine of his car. He recalled he ran out the garage just in time as the garage blew up, his car now a burnt wreck. He was safe, his garage how ever was a different story.

Kristin smiles and pats her husband hand, “Sweetie, you haven’t touched your food since talking with Brian. How about we skip this date and just head home. You have a lot on your head and some rest would do you some good.”

“That’s why I love you. You understand me perfectly.” Kevin whispers as he drops a large bill on the table and both head out the restaurant.
~*~

Natalie giggles as her boyfriend finishes painting her toenails. “There, all done, what do you think Nat?”

Natalie sprawled out the couch, giggles and lifts her leg up to examine the done creation. “Well done. Nice. I didn’t think of painting it that color, but it’ll work.”

Galen laughs and places the pink glossy nail polish on the coffee table. He settles on the edge of the sofa besides Natalie and strokes her dark locks in his fingers. His dark green eyes stare at Natalie’s face with endearment. “Naty, sweetie, what are you doing later tonight?”

Natalie stares up at him, her dark chocolate eyes stare up at him and she shrugs her shoulders, “Nothing as of yet, why? You have something that can change my plans?” She whispers into his ears. Galen stands up, his tall six feet two inches towering over his girlfriend. His fair skin hands fuse with her tan hands as they stare into each other eyes.

“I never knew I could fall in love with my enemy.” Galen whispers seductively into her tan ears. She giggles and stares him, mesmerized by his appearance.

“Who would have thought that one of Steeles project would have such a positive effect? Especially to me.” Natalie whispers, tugging on Galen’s blue shirt collar.

He leans down and lays a gentle kiss on her forehead whispering, “I love you.”

Natalie smiles and whispers the same back to him. It was interesting the way the two met. After Nick had destroyed the last CAPPA building, Galen, one of the few employers there had managed to escape in time. Natalie had met him that night and Galen stated he was undercover as a writer for the institution but soon became an experiment that Steeles had plotted. Seemed Steeles needed some guinea pigs and he was one of them. Though he was a failed experiment according to Steeles definition, he manage to escape during the terror that ensued with Sanchez’s past experiments waging war outside the institution.

Natalie, after seeing the girls one last time, went her separate way living on the west side of the country. She is constantly getting calls from the girls and even the Boys surprised her by calling her one time. She still managed to have access to Jamelet and Summer and though she missed them terribly, she needed to be away from all the insanity that she had endured. Her health was getting damaged with all the stress and anxiety she had to endure. But with Galen being by her side, she has been getting better and she was just glad things are starting to get back to normal like it was before CAPPA existed.

“Galen, honey what are you thinking about?” Natalie’s sweet voice fades his thoughts.

He smiles and strokes her hair, “How lucky I am to have you.”

“Same here.” Natalie states as she snuggles close to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. ‘Everything is just right. The way it should be.” And the couple laughs, talking about what they will do later tonight.
~*~

Rose sighs and tiredly enters her bedroom. Her dancing class has been harder than she can imagine and she felt like she was ready to drop to bed to sleep. She limps over to her bedside and takes off her black jacket, flinging it on a chair besides her. “Ahhh, I’m so exhausted. Can’t wait to hit the pillow. How good the sleep will be to me.” She whispers gleefully to herself.

Just as she was climbing into her queen size bed, the phone rings. Groaning, she stumbles out the bed and angrily answers the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi, can I speak to Rose? This is Kimberly.” A soft voice states over the phone line. Giggling, Rose quickly says hi and how surprised she was to hear from her.

“Oh God, Kimberly, girl how you doing?” Rose whispers a smile crawling on her face. She had to admit she truly missed the girls and wanted to get together but that was impossible, Alison moved away and lost contact with them and the same for Paige. As for Ana, she emailed her every once in a while. In fact even the guys talked with her except Nick. Since the last she saw of him, he was acting too distance and she knew that something wasn’t right. And from the way Nick reacted to hearing about Jamelet, Rose knew she lost the battle to his heart and that really tortured her. She talked with Summer about it but never could she talk with Jamelet about it for she would sound like a jealous girlfriend. But somehow the relationship has been too strained and her heart hurt too much to face Jamelet at any time.

“Ok, hey, you watching the news?” Kimberly asks, twirling in her seat at the office she works in after school.

“No why?”

“Oh God, just turn the news on, hurry before you miss it!” Kimberly asks, chewing on a strand of her dark brown locks.

Rose nervously pushes back a strand of her golden hair and turns on the thirteen inch television in her room. Pushing the remote, she flips through some channels before landing on the news. She watches the woman reporter on site somewhere in Florida, discussing a new construction plan for a building. “A new multiplex theater was supposed to be built here but the lease was revoked and now a new lease is out for the construction of a scientific institution. No word as to what will be built on this property, but word has it that a young man bought the land for over a quarter of a million to start building soon after words. We’ll be sure to let you know shortly once more information is given, about what company is moving in. This is Evelise Roman coming at you live from channel seven news.” Rose remained quiet as Kimberly’s voice ran through her ears.

“Rose, Rose? Are you watching it? Do you know what that could mean? They said a scientific institution, you know what that means girl right?” Kimberly’s frightened voice echoes in Rose’s mind.

“No, it can’t be. Cyrus died along with CAPPA. There’s nothing there. It couldn’t mean anything, just a coincidence, that’s all.” Rose stutters.

Kimberly snorts and yells out, “No way, you feel it don’t ya? Cappa’s alive again. And that could only mean one thing.”

Rose backs into a chair and slumps into it, taking a deep breath. “You heard the news. They don’t know what’s being built there yet.”

Sucking her teeth, Kimberly states slowly, “Really now? What other scientist institution do you know has millions upon millions of dollars to reconstruct itself besides CAPPA. Come on Rose, how strange is that?! You feel it don’t you?” She whispers quietly.

Rose nods her head and answers back in the phone, “Ye, yeah. They never left.”

“Exactly!” Kimberly whispers, “Look, I gotta go now, my boss is getting cranky about the personal calls on job. I’ll talk to you later online. This is too big and I think Ana and the others should be aware of this.”

“Oh God that’s right! They live nearby there. Oh man, what can we do? Our powers have left us. I don’t even know how to do it anymore.” Rose whispers, passing her hand wearily over her face. “What are we going to do?”

Kimberly sighs, “I don’t have a clue. Listen I gotta go, k. We’ll talk later about this. Bye.”

“Bye.” Rose whispers and places the phone back on its cradle. Forget sleep, concern cloth her this evening and she was left alone in her room to deduce what should happen next with the info she just saw on the news.
~*~

“Thanks Alex, hey listen Nick was telling me you guys all have a nickname for one another. What’s yours?” Jamelet asks curiously as A.J. hands her a dirty dish to place in the dishwasher.

A.J. sighs and shakes his head, “You don’t wanna know.”

“Oh but I do.” Insisted Jamelet as Summer and Ana entered the kitchen.

“Well not in front of Ana then.” A.J. stalled, thinking of an excuse.

Ana snorts and rolls her emerald sapphire orbs, “Dude, I’m a big girl, you can tell whatever it is in front of me.” Ana grins wickedly, leaning on the counter, wiping a towel over her wet golden locks.

Summer giggles and wipes a hand cloth over the top of the stove as A.J. growls.

“What did I miss?” Summer teased.

“Nothing trust me.” A.J. states as he scowls at Jamelet for opening her mouth.

Jamelet opens her jaw very wide and points to it, “See I just opened it, and now what?”

A.J. shakes his head and was about to exit the kitchen when he crashes into Nick and Howie.

“Hey guys, A.J. doesn’t want to share his secret to us.” Ana giggles enjoying the look of unbelief in A.J.’s dark eyes.

“What secret?” Howie asks, raising his eyebrows in interest.

Nick laughs and looks at Jamelet, “Oh he doesn’t want to say now right?”

“Right.” Jamelet nods, placing her hands on her hips.

“Well A.J. since we’re all here, why don’t you share with the girls what you call yourself. I mean we all have different tag names, I’m smoke, Howie’s sunshine, Brian’s deadly, Kevin is Laser eye and you A.J. you’re…” Nick stops as A.J. interrupts.

“Ok, personally I don’t think they care so I won’t say.” A.J. says picking the lint off his sleeve.

Summer giggles, “It got my interest, come on tell us. I wanna know, what do you call yourself?”

A.J. rolls his eyes and mutters out the nickname so low that no one heard it.

“Excuse me, I missed that, care to repeat?” Ana jokes, poking A.J. in the ribs. “Oh you’re not embarrassed by the name now are you?” Ana continues jokily as Howie bites his lower lip hoping to calm down his jealous nerves when Ana played around with someone besides himself.

“Exorcist.” A.J. finally states as quiet greeted his answer.

“Creepy.” Jamelet whispers as Ana rolls her eyes.

Summer shrugs her shoulders, “So Exorcist huh? Like the possessed girl that moved stuff with her mind. I see how that makes sense.”

“Forget I even mentioned it.” A.J. mutters as he pushes a chair next to the kitchen table. And he walks out the quiet room with one low whistle coming from Nick.

“I thought it would be funny. I guess I was wrong.” Nick whispers as he excuses himself.

“Weird huh?” Summer asks towards Jamelet and exits the room.

Jamelet nods her head and continues placing glass plates onto the dishwasher. Howie and Ana glance at each other and left the uncomfortable feeling in the kitchen and exited it to go downstairs for Ana to show off her powers to the others in the experiment room.
~*~

The shrill ringing of the phone wakes Natalie up from her nap. She raises her head off Galen’s lap and sighs wearily. She and Galen talked almost all night and before she knew it, she was out for the night, nodding off the sleep along with Galen on the couch. She hurries over to the loud ringing and answers the call.

“Hello?” She croaks out, clearing her throat.

“Natalie! Great I got through to you. Hey listen I have to tell you something serious.” Kevin’s deep voice booms into her voice.

“Kevin? Oh hey, how you doing? You caught me off guard sorry. What is it?” She walks into her bedroom carrying her cordless phone into her bedroom.

“The news, did you see it today?” Kevin whispers, the fear in his voice evident.

Gulping Natalie shakes her head, “No, no. why?”

“It seems someone bought the empty lot down in Florida. News mentioned the owners are part of a scientific institution. You know what that means right?” Kevin sounded almost in hysteria.

“Yes, oh God. Cappa’s back alright.” Natalie whispers in shock as she collapses into a chair, her heart racing a mile a minute. Now the question remains, what will happen now?
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 6 - Explorations

Summer hurried down the hallway after AJ when he sprinted away from the group. She could tell that AJ was upset about his new nickname. Her mind told her it was silly to be so offended by a name, but her heart reminded her that the boys were still new to their powers. Ana had completely adapted to her world of powers, because she had harnessed them during her early years of life. She was used to having these gifts and her mind had always recalled the normality of having powers. However, the boys’ powers had broke out late in their lives, so their normality had been jaded by the powers.

Summer reached out and grasped AJ by the shoulders before he could run out the door. AJ grunted as he was thrown backward by Summer’s quick moves. He looked puzzled as he stared at Summer’s eyes. Summer smiled softly, leaning against a wall. “What’s the problem, AJ?”

“What do you mean?” AJ grunted, standing against the other wall of the hallway.

“I mean your malfunction with your new nickname. Exorcist isn’t that bad. I’d much rather have the name Exorcist than a Bone. You know?” Summer told him carefully, glancing up to see that she didn’t overstep some kind of boundary between them. He seemed okay as he thought about the question.

“It’s not so much the name as much as it’s what the name represents,” AJ grumbled, smoothing his jeans as if there were some kind of deathly wrinkle. Summer stepped forward, placing her hands against his cheeks to force him to look at her. He sighed, knowing that he couldn’t somehow disappear from this conversation. “They told me I’m the Exorcist because of being able to levitate my body and other things into the air. But, sometimes I think that they might know about my stronger power…”

“Stronger powers?” Summer whispered.

“We’ve been having these outbursts of force, you know, like Ana’s been having. Only, Ana can control what’s happening inside and outside her body. We can’t do anything like that because we haven’t been trained. Howie and Nick have the same kind of problems, but they try not to talk about what’s happening. That’s a big reason as to why we came. Not only did we want to visit with you girls, but we also wanted to find out if there was something that you guys can do to help us…”

“What kind of power are we dealing with now, AJ?”

“I don’t just have telekinesis. I also have this thing… I can control others’ thoughts and impulses. I can make people do things that they don’t want to do. Then… One day I jumped out of my body and into Nick’s body. It was the scariest thing that I’ve ever seen. My body just kind of slumps to the ground and then I can see everything Nick normally sees. I don’t know how to describe it. But… I know it happens!”

“AJ, I understand. You don’t have to act like I don’t understand. I deal with Ana’s new powers on a daily basis. Anything that you say isn’t weird or complicated. We’ll just have to see it happen and figure out how to deal with it. Okay?” Summer soothed, wrapping her arms tightly around AJ’s neck. She heard him sniffle softly, but then squeeze Summer gently. She sighed with relief, glancing at him with curiousness. “I’m glad that you came to visit us and all. I’m even happier that you and that sleazy girlfriend broke up.”

“Really?” AJ asked, a smile playing against the corners of his mouth.

“Seriously,” she confirmed.

“Well, let me tell you that I’m extremely thrilled that I came to visit you and that my ex-girlfriend is finally out of my life. It just means that I have more time to toy around with our relationship and figure out where we’re going,” he whispered.

“Really?” Summer giggled, feeling lightheaded.

“Seriously. Why don’t I show you tonight… What do you say to a late dinner?” AJ rasped.

“Just the two of us?”

“Yes, Nick isn’t the only one with connections.”

“Then I’d be glad to accept.”

“Good, let’s go see what kind of creations Ana can whip up for us.”
*~*~*
The boys were fascinated with Ana’s underground playroom. AJ now understood why Ana felt so free to expand upon her knowledge. Ana could experiment with her powers to her heart’s content and no one would suspect a thing. The basement was thick with bricks and cement. There were several computers set up against one side of the room to trace Ana’s bodily functions and growth. Jamelet and Summer had recorded tons of information about Ana’s latest developments. The other side of the room was encased with unbreakable glass, where Ana could perform her gifts with no intrusions. The unbreakable glass protected Jamelet and Summer, but gave them an important gaze into the destruction that Ana could harness into her hands. In Ana’s side of the experimenting room was covered with items of Ana’s unique personality. She had a CD player along with tons of CDs stacked along the wall to keep her entertained while she practiced.

“This is amazing,” Nick whistled, glancing at Jamelet. He worried still that he had blown his chances with Jamelet. He tried his best to please Jamelet, but he still couldn’t read her thoughts. He side as he watched her load up her information. She looked appealing with a plain white tank top and a pair of khaki capri pants. Her black silky curls were tossed into a simple ponytail. “Did you make this yourself?”

“We all built this together. We all had talents that put together this place,” Jamelet explained.

“Totally!” Ana giggled, sauntering into her glass case. She knew exactly how this process worked. She would go into the glass case and put on her music. When she felt ready to release her powers, she would do so. Until then, she would talk and converse with Jamelet and Summer as if it were any other day. She glanced at Jamelet to confirm that she was allowed to start. Jamelet nodded her head, giving Ana nodded, shutting the door.

Ana closed her eyes, putting on some of her favorite country music. She flowed with Emerson Drive as she waited to get back into her zone. The boys were watching her as if she were a fish in a tank. Ana didn’t mind as she sang softly with her music. The boys were surprised to hear that she was actually a talented singer, but that wasn’t why they were down there. Howie stepped beside Jamelet, mesmerized by Ana’s presence. “She’s listening to country music?”

“What can we say? The girl was born in North Carolina. Don’t you know that saying? You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl?” Jamelet teased, waiting for Ana to complete her first gift. She didn’t know what Ana would do to show her new talents, but she was pretty sure that Ana would do her best to show off for the boys. That was just Ana’s playful nature.

“The girl is amazing,” Howie murmured softly.

"Definitely,” Jamelet laughed, making Howie turn bright red. He hadn’t thought that she overheard him. He glanced down to feel Jamelet place a gentle hand on his shoulder. He glanced up, his cheeks still burning. “Howie, it’s okay to like Ana. She’s a great girl. Just because she’s eighteen doesn’t mean a thing. Ten years difference in your ages isn’t a big deal. She’s used to that. Her mother and father were nine years apart.”

“Are you telling me that I should put the moves on a eighteen year old girl?”

“If that’s what your heart is telling you to do,” Jamelet whispered back with an encouraging smile. She knew that Howie and Ana cared deeply about each other. She could see the instant bond the very first time Howie had met the icy girl. She knew that they would follow whatever lay within their hearts.

Howie said nothing more as Ana announced she was prepared. Everyone turned toward the glass case, waiting for the new powers. Jamelet grinned when Ana’s skin turned a pale blue and her irises turned a frosty white coloring. AJ gasped, stepping back away from the case. A few places on Ana’s skin started to ripple from the sensation, breaking open as a blue liquid spewed forth. In a few short seconds, large chunks of sharp ice shot up from Ana’s skin. Her shoulders, wrists, arms, legs, and back exploded with thick ice, threatening to kill anyone near. The boys gasped as Ana smirked, releasing the giant icicles from her skin. The icicles cut through the air with amazing force, smashing against the glass and shattering into sharp fragments. Nick was so overwhelmed that he fell over a couch, landing hard on the floor.

“Nick!” Jamelet laughed in surprise, leaning over the couch. “Are you okay?"

Nick trembled, scrambling to his feet. He pointed to Ana as she stepped out of the glass tank with an amused smile. His jaw dropped open as he tried to relay the visual information to his brain. “DID YOU SEE WHAT SHE DID?!”

“Yes, that’s one of the newest gifts. This time I clocked it at over a hundred miles an hour,” Summer quoted, glancing at the speedometer.

“That’s improving,” Ana chirped.

“Definitely,” Jamelet answered with a triumphant smile. She then glanced back at the boys, who were eyeing Ana’s skin for remnants of the icicles. She pulled up the sleeves of her shredded t-shirt to reveal unflawed skin. They were shocked as they glanced back at Jamelet for confirmation. Jamelet laughed, “Guys, Ana’s skin is fine. The icicles burst from the skin and then the skin forms back over the original wounds. It’s like when she breaks a bone and the ice forms a cast over the injury to prevent damage. So, that’s what we wanted to show you. We wanted you to see that Ana is changing, too, and the way we test her. We want to know if you’ll enter the chambers and show us your new gifts?”

“Enter that…”

AJ couldn’t finish his sentence, because Nick had already peeled the shirt off his back. He handed it over to Jamelet, flashing a daring grin. “I’ll get in there and do what I got to do, Jam,” Nick announced.

“Show off,” Howie grumbled.

Nick didn’t answer as he stepped into the chambers. He cringed at the sound of the country music. He gave an apologetic grin toward Ana and shut the music off. Jamelet laughed as Ana flipped him the middle finger. Nick shrugged his shoulders as the door closed behind him. He took a deep breath to clear his mind. He concentrated on his powers, struggling to perform under the obvious pressure. No one knew what would happen, but suddenly Nick felt as if he were burning up. His skin began to form large beads of sweat and rolled down his muscular frame. In an instant, a flame exploded against Nick and engulfed his entire body. Orange, yellow, and blue flames licked around his skin as Nick did a complete circle. He felt no pain as smoke billowed around him, engulfing the tank.

“He’s heating well into the five-hundred mark!” Summer shouted in amazement.

“Did you know he could do that?” Ana laughed with admiration.

“No,” Howie murmured.

“Nick! Turn that off!” Jamelet called into an intercom. She hurriedly touched a button, sending a shower of water sprinkling down upon Nick’s flame-ridden body. The snapping and sizzling of his flames crackled against the glass, but finally Nick appeared beneath the flame with charred shorts. “That was amazing, Nick!” Jamelet cried toward him.

Ana whooped in delight, running to the chamber and opening it. She threw her arms around Nick’s warm body talking quickly. Nick stared at her in surprise, grabbing her by the shoulders to slow her down. Ana blushed faintly, stopping. She took a deep breath, and then began again, “That was amazing! I thought I was the only one out of everyone that could envelop myself in my powers! I can make myself turn into ice! Want to see?”

“Turn yourself into ice?” Nick questioned.

Ana didn’t answer. She took a deep breath and concentrated on cold thoughts. Her irises sparked with a brilliant white as her skin turned a deep sapphire blue. Nick stepped out of the glass chamber in alarm. Ana grinned as her body immediately thickened with a sheet of blue liquid and hardened. Within several minutes, Ana was in an icy form. “How’s that?” she asked, her words spinning amongst a chilly cloud of air.

“She’s down in the negative hundreds,” Summer whispered.

“Fantastic, Ana!” Jamelet approved.

“Go me!” Ana laughed, closing her eyes. The thick layer of ice cracked, shattering onto the ground where she stood. Ana stepped out of the chamber and the ice crunched beneath her feet. She wiped her damp curls away from her sapphire-emerald eyes, waiting for the response. “So, what do you think, Nick?”

“That was amazing!” AJ blurted, reaching out to seize Ana into his arms and whirl her in a circle. Ana was shrieking from the wild motions as she held onto AJ for dear life. She knew that he would protect her, but she worried about his clumsiness at times. Everyone burst into laughter at the sight before them when AJ and Ana tumbled to the ground. They entangled themselves in piles of arms, legs, and other body parts.

While everyone laughed with amusement at the situation, Howie became overcome with another emotion from the scene before him. Howie was not amused with the situation at hand and noted that his heart started to ache with a wild passion. He became increasingly tired of Ana manipulating his affections in the hands of his friends. He didn’t know if she knew every detail in his heart, but he was sure that she knew he was fond of her.

Anger ripped through Howie’s body, lighting something deep within his tender soul. Without any warning, two balls of powerful electricity shot out of Howie’s palms and bounced around the room. The balls burned brilliantly as they bounced wildly around the room. Jamelet and Summer shrieked in surprise, ducking as one ball whizzed past their heads, landing against the glass wall, making a deep crack in the center. The other ball bounced heavily against the floor, placing a large crater before Ana and AJ. Everyone grew deathly silent as they stared at Howie with complete shock.

“Are you having issues?” AJ whispered.

“I… Damn,” Howie cursed, glancing down at Ana’s shocked face. He had scared her more than anything. She didn’t seem delighted with his power, since it came close to hurting her personally. He had made a complete mess out of everything he had hoped to accomplish during the visit. He reached his hand out to help Ana off the floor, but Ana instead pushed herself off the floor and brushed the bits of plaster off her jeans.

“Are you okay?” AJ asked, accepting Howie’s hand. He glanced at his friend with wariness. “I really didn’t know you could do that kind of stuff with your hands, man!”

“Me either…” Howie trailed.

“Are you okay?” Jamelet repeated.

“Actually, I need to talk to Ana…” Howie finally insisted, glancing up at Ana hopefully. Her eyes went wide with surprise, glancing at the girls for confirmation. Summer and Jamelet nodded like caring mothers, and then quickly turned off their machines. They glanced at the boys, quickly shooing them up the stairs. Jamelet shot Howie a smile as she shut the door behind her, leaving Ana and Howie alone. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, motioning toward a couch that they could sit on. Carefully, Ana gingerly sat down on the couch, flinching slightly as he sat beside her.

“You almost took off my head,” she finally announced.

“I’m sorry… I was upset…”

“Upset?” Ana repeated, finally looking into his chocolate eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat as she ran her hands through her thick honey curls. She struggled to comprehend what he was saying. Finally, she took a deep breath, deciding to go with it. “You’ve been acting weird since you’ve gotten here. I don’t really know what to say to you or anything… I thought everything was going great after the last time… In the hospital and all… You kissed me… I liked that, and all. But then you pull these stunts in my home that make me think twice. I don’t understand what’s happening at all. I need an explanation before another electric power ball comes zooming in my face.”

“An explanation?” Howie gulped.

“Yes, an explanation.”
*~*~*
Jamelet closed the basement door behind her in hopes that Ana and Howie would resolve their unrequited love issues for the final time. She glanced to see Summer and AJ hurrying down to the beach. She smirked with approval, knowing that AJ and Summer finally had a chance at exploring each other with AJ’s girlfriend completely out of the way. Jamelet glanced at Nick, noting that he was staring at her. She blushed faintly, pulling a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “You thirsty?”

“Yeah, hungry, too. Doing all those tricks really throws it out of you,” Nick agreed.

“I’ve got some Snapple and whatnot and Ana has stocked the fridge with soda. The girl is going to rot her brain out on that caffeine someday, I swear,” Jamelet teased, sauntering out to the kitchen with Nick at her heels. She opened the fridge and tossed him a bottle of Snapple. He smiled, popping the top and taking a long sip. “You’ve definitely got some new abilities with your gift, Nick. They’re pretty amazing. I didn’t think that you boys would evolve with your powers since the powers became active at such a late age. I suppose I was wrong.”

“For once in your life?” Nick smirked.

“For once in my life,” Jamelet agreed with a small chuckle. She was about to speak again, but the phone rang. She smiled apologetically, hurrying toward the cordless phone. She picked it up and clicked the on button. She leaned against the kitchen table, speaking clearly, “Hello? Who are you looking for, today? Jamelet, Summer, or Ana?”

“Jamelet?” a weary voice called loudly.

“This is her… May I ask who is speaking?”

“This is Brian! I’ve been trying to reach you guys all day. Have the boys made it there yet? Kevin and I were worried that something happened to them along the way. Then when you didn’t answer your phone at all I thought something had happened to you girls!” Brian panicked.

“Brian, hold up! Why would we be in trouble?” Jamelet asked with confusion.

“Are you joking?”

“No, I thought you were.”

“You mean they haven’t told you?”

“Who hasn’t told me what?”

“Howie, Nick, and AJ didn’t tell you what was happening?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Have you been watching the news at all today?”

“No, stop answering my questions with more questions! What are you talking about?” Jamelet asked, moving away from Nick to walk into the living room. Her heart was beating faster than before. She didn’t like the tone of Brian’s voice. There was something missing in the puzzle and she was becoming annoyed and angered by the perplexing nature of the puzzle.

“Damn, I can’t believe they didn’t tell you. Howie, J, and Nick SAID that they’d go and visit you to break the news about what is happening. They said it was better to tell you girls face to face than blurt it out on the phone! They were supposed to tell you and get back here as soon as possible! I could strangle them!” Brian raved, ignoring Jamelet’s question again.

“BRIAN!” Jamelet screeched, noticing that Nick had walked into the living room with curiousness. She glared at Nick, knowing that something had gone terribly wrong. Somehow, she realized that the boys hadn’t dropped by for a friendly visit. She started to doubt the friendship in the first place. It seemed like the boys were only using the girls for their own benefits. Jamelet managed to control her anger, submersing it in her heart for the time being. “Brian, tell me what you’re talking about. It’s obvious that the boys neglected their duties and forgot to get back home. Now, tell me what the Hell is going on before I hurt someone!”

“Jamelet, someone is buying up all the CAPPA property in hopes to rebuild. Nick, Howie, and AJ were supposed to tell you and then leave. Kevin didn’t want them traveling under these conditions. I mean, whoever owns CAPPA now must be the same breed as the others who have owned CAPPA. I don’t know how else to tell you. I’m sorry, Jamelet, but CAPPA is back—”

“CAPPA?” Jamelet questioned, cutting off Brian’s apologies. She offered a deadly glare toward Nick, waiting for confirmation. However, she didn’t even need the confirmation as she clicked off her phone, stepping toward Nick. She wanted to strangle him for delaying important information because of his sick pleasures in toying with the girls' fragile affections.
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**

"Termination of Sanity"

**~Chapter 7- Conflicting Connections~**

She shakes her head angrily as she brushes roughly pass Nick, entering the swinging kitchen door. Nick gulps and knew Brian told her the truth about their visitation. His heart bangs against his chest as he enters the kitchen.

"Jamelet, I was…" Nick nervously whispers but was cut off as she raises her hand, her back facing him:

"Don't. Just don't. I don't why you came here. I really thought we were friends but instead you withheld the mere fact that CAPPA is back." Jamelet whispers softly.

"God, I'm sorry. I'm so stupid."

"No, reckless." Jamelet hisses, turning to face him, her light chocolate eyes brim with tears as she shakes her head, "Nick I think its best you leave."

"What?!" Nick chokes out, surprised by the sudden attitude change, "I understand you're upset and all, but you're kicking me out without letting me explain…"

Jamelet interrupts his statement, "There isn't anything to explain. We're danger and you just delayed us from getting things together. God I have to tell the girls." She whisks out the kitchen and runs down the basement, the last where she recalled Howie and Ana where at.

Nick gulps and shakes his head, "Stupid me. Way a go Nick, just lost out my chance with her." And guilty follows behind, hoping it wasn't too late to them to escape to safety. Jamelet hurries down the cement stairs and looks around the basement, no one was in sight. "Where could they have gone?"

"Maybe they left somewhere." Nick softly answers as Jamelet glares at him.

She briskly walks around the room shouting for Howie or Ana, "Ana! Ana, I have to talk to you now! Its important!! We have to leave!" She shouts, glaring at Nick briefly before walking down a cement pathway where a resting room was located. She was walking when she feels her arm grabbed from behind. She jerks from his touch as he pulls her to him.

"Stop this ok! We'll get the hell out of here but don't act this way towards me!" Nick hisses, his sapphire orbs blazing a harsh icy blue. Jamelet cries out in pain feeling a burning pain on her right wrist. Nick yanks his hand away immediately knowing his power was reflected in his touch.

"Sorry. Oh man, sorry I didn't mean that. Just please don't be mad at me. If it wasn't for you, we'd be lost. Not to mention doctor Natalie and Summer. I wanna help and I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. A guy by the name of Coby Allen Williams bought the land to rebuild CAPPA a few miles from here. I was told to inform you and bring you with us." Nick whispers, staring at the young doctor.

Jamelet sighs and tilts her head, "I'm not going with you. CAPPA wants you guys, not us. If I go with you, I'll be putting Ana and Summer in danger as well. I can't have that."

Nick narrows his eyes and inhales a deep breath, "Wait, you're not gonna help us?! WE can't do this alone Jamelet and you know it!"

"I had it! Don't you see? Screw CAPPA! I walked away from it months ago. And I don't ever want to do it again. I lost my father because of the corrupt corporation and I was binded to that business for most of my life. Nick, I don't want to go through that again. I can't afford to bring Ana to that again. She almost died saving us last time." Jamelet choked out, her eyes filling with tears, "I, I can't live myself if I put her in danger again and lose her."

"And you won't lose her. Jamelet, we're the original ones. Me and the guys had these powers naturally, medications only brought it out to the open, you said it yourself, you never cured us cause we were never ill. Its part of us, these powers, whether I wanted them or not. I'm chosen, A.J., Howie, Brian and Kevin all chosen. We can stop CAPPA once and for all." Nick whispers, pleading with the woman to at least give him the benefit of doubt.

"I didn't tell you this for I feared you'd act out this way. But I'm sorry you found out the way you did. I came here not only to tell you about CAPPA or the problems with our powers but because I want to protect you." Nick whispers, cringing at the thought that he just expressed his emotions to her.

"Protect me?" Jamelet looks at him smugly, "You mean that?"

Nick nervously nibbles on his lower lip and nods his head.

Smiling, Jamelet gulps, giving him a small smile, "Well then… Thanks. Thanks for thinking about me. But I'm still mad at you."

Nick chuckles softly and nods his head, "That's alright. Be as mad as you want. I won't stop you. And no problem shorty, I'd feel bad if something happened to you. You're important to all of us, especially me." Nick whispers, upset with himself for being so open to the woman.

Jamelet smirks and elbows him, "Am I assuming someone here is acting all brotherly on me?"

"Brotherly? I think its more, 'Hey baby I'm the man, I gotta watch out for my girl.' Type attitude." Summer teases with a smirk on her face as she and A.J. suddenly enter the hallway where they were at.

Nick blushes, "Oh hey guys. She just playing. That's not what I meant."

"But that's what you feel." A.J. whispers quietly, loud enough for only Nick to hear. A.J. smiles, his eyes glittering.

"Damn your power." Nick mutters as A.J. chuckles leaving the two women confused about the private conversation the men just had.
~*~

"Ok an explanation would work nicely with the waves out here." Ana states with a small smile crossing the corners of her mouth. She plops down on the sand, as the beautiful beach waves crash into one another and become one at the shoreline.

"Ana, I don't see why you wanted to talk out here. We could have stood downstairs talking in the basement." Howie tries to persuade Ana to get back indoors. He feared someone working with CAPPA could invade this secluded area and place the women in danger. He glances back at the quiet two story house the women shared, only the soft waves seemed to be the only noise outside at the moment. He's taken out of his thoughts as Ana states something.

"Cause I figured that what ever you have to tell me would be more pleasant out here then indoors. Don't you think?" She raises her light eyebrows, her golden tresses falling down her back and over her shoulders. Howie had the urge to brush his fingers through those soft locks of hers and breath in her soft scent. Man, he got it bad for the woman.

"Whatever you want." Howie states.

"Come, take a seat." Ana pats besides her in the sand, "Plenty of room to sit down at."

Howie smirks and quickly kneels down, drawing his knees close to his chest: he lets his arms hang over the edge of his knees as he stares at Ana.

"Beautiful place we have here huh?" Ana whispers, the hair in the back of her neck prick up, picking up the uncomfortable situation and feelings running through one another.

"Yeah, you're beautiful." Howie states as Ana narrows her eyes and takes in the compliment.

"Thanks but I was talking about the ocean."

"Oh, yeah that too." Howie whispers, looking into her eyes.

"So…" Ana trails off, knowing Howie will finally explain his earlier actions. "Should I be prepared and take cover in case any electrical balls should start firing off."

Howie laughs and shakes his head, "Na, I think you'll be safe."

"Oh well whoo." She playfully lets out a deep breath, "That's good to know then."

Howie chuckles and gulps, "I guess I should start with an apology. I'm sorry about earlier. Ana…" Howie stops and scoots closer to Ana, which send gentle cool chills down her spine. "I think that I'm falling for you harder than I thought. I, I, oh man this is harder than I thought."

Ana pokes him on the side and stares at him, "Come on Howie. Tell me. I've been feeling weird since you came. I feel like this strange relationship we have is strained. Does that make sense at all?"

"Yes! Oh man, that's so good to hear that. I've been feeling like I had to fight for your attention. You give A.J. so much attention. I wish I had that with you. But it always feels strained and hard to talk about with you cause I think I'm falling for you." Howie smiles as Ana giggles. He tries to catch himself but it was too late, the feeling were out in the open and now they had to deal with it.

Ana raises her eyes, "I thought I was too little for you. I recalled you said I'm too young for you. Its funny how that changed." She teases, watching him shift uncomfortable and smile.

"Yeah, well time does that to you." Howie gleams happily as the waves crash onto the shore and wet their bare feet with its cold embrace.

"So I'm confused. Where does this leave us?" Ana asks curiously, her heart racing a mile a minute. She was falling for him since the moment she set her eyes on him but withheld her emotions for she possibly thought she was just fan crazed like all those young girls out there. She figured what would a celebrity as big as Howie, find in her. But as luck has it, it seemed that she met him and some how things have a way of working themselves out. She never thought in a million years that she would meet any celebrity, let alone a member of one of her fave music groups to then have him feel a deep connection with her.

"Ana." His cool breaths touching her ear: sending extreme shivers down the very core of her spine and pit of her stomach.

She focuses back on him and smiles, "Yeah?"

"I always wanted to know what it would feel like to kiss an ice princess." Howie seductively whispers to her.

Ana smiles and throws her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in, "Well you don't have to find out any longer." And she leans close to try to touch his lips but stops as she hears screaming and the back door of the house fling open.

"Jamelet I found them! Ana get your behind up! Where the hell have you two been hiding? We gotta leave now! CAPPA is here, someone bought the land ten miles from here." We gotta leave here now!" Summer screams out, her emerald eyes clouded in anxiety as her golden locks lie scattered wildly over her shoulders.

Ana gulps and stands up hurriedly along with Howie, "Did she just say CAPPA?"

Howie gulps and nods his head. Suddenly Ana had a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that Howie didn't stop by to just visit. She glares at him and races to reach Summer at the back porch. Howie catches up to her as Summer grabs some back packs stuffed messily with clothes for the women. Howie could sense Ana's eyes on him as he stares at the overstuff book bags.

"Why didn't you tell me they were here?" Ana hisses out, a sob close to escaping her throat.

"I was about too. That's why we came here. We needed to tell you what we found out about CAPPA. A new owner claimed the property. I'm surprised you didn't know about it. It's been all over the news and media." Howie states worriedly, he hated himself for making Ana upset.

Ana snorts and shrugs her shoulders, "Not much TV, they rot one's brain and the news is so water down nowadays its hard to believe anything."

"Well it doesn't matter. They're rebuilding and we're here to get you guys to safety." A.J. states, his chocolate eyes distressed.

Ana sucks her teeth and grabs a back pack, not looking at Howie. She was too upset, she was in danger. Why wouldn't Howie say anything instead of delaying it? She couldn't understand it and she wasn't in the mood to here any of his excuses at the moment.

Howie grabs Ana's shoulders and sighs, "I should have explained more when we got here. Sorry about this Ana. I will do anything to see that you get a life that you always wanted ok?"

Ana shakes her shoulders, loosening Howie's grip on it, "Sure, whatever." She mutters and follows Summer and A.J. down the steps as Nick and Jamelet exit the back door and joins them.

Jamelet glares at Howie before racing over to Ana and pulling her into a hug, "I'm sorry we have to do this again. We'll come back here when its time. Don't you worry, ok. I'll make sure nothing happens to you. Even if I have to risk my life for your safety."

Ana stops and embraces the smaller woman, "No! Don't say that. We'll make it, we all will. We always made it before and nothing is gonna change that ok?"

Jamelet nods her head and all six of them make their way towards the roadside to await a taxi to take them to the airport where Kevin and Brian will meet them.
~*~

Kevin pulls up to airport driveway with Brian nervously fiddling with his fingers. "Relax B, things will work out, they always do. Look, did you manage to get in contact with the girls?"

Brian nods his head as he unbuckles his seat belt and steps out the car, "Yeah, the guys forgot to tell them! Kev, they must have horsing around and forgot to tell them. I almost freaked out Jamelet, I just know they all upset now."

"Blame that on CAPPA, they always seem to piss me off each time I think about it." Kevin mutters, locking his car and crossing the parking lot. The two men enter the airport, the noise of customers, crowds and food greet their entrance. "Anyway, I got in contact with Natalie. She said she'll meet us here near gate five. So be on the look out for her will ya?"

Brian nods as they reach the waiting area and collapse into a seat. Brian scans his eyes and stops at a familiar figure: sure enough it was Natalie approaching them with a tall man by her side. Brian smiles and nudges Kevin, "Check it out, Natalie is here with a visitor."

Kevin smirks and stands up to embrace the running woman. "Hey you, I haven't seen you for so long." Kevin pulls away from the hug and stares at the man besides her. "Hi, Natalie never mentioned you to us. I'm Kevin and you?"

Galen smiles and extends his hand, shaking it with Kevin, "Hi, I'm Natalie's boyfriend, Galen. I heard about the news of CAPPA. I used to work there until Cyrus took over the place and started experimenting with his employers."

"Whoa, Hey I'm Brian by the way, but he injected you with stuff?"

Galen nods his head, his dark locks falling over his dark green eyes. "Yeah, or least he tried to. But nothing happen to me. I was lucky though a few of my co-workers weren't."

"So wait, you can help us out then since you work around the corporation." Brian whispers.

Galen smiles and stretches out his arms, "That's why I'm here. Nat was left freaking out and wanted to meet you guys here. You're waiting for some of your friends to arrive here right?"

Kevin nods his head, "Yeah, it's a short flight. We sent a private plane to pick them. They're not that far from us, they're in Miami. So give or take an hour, they'll be here."

"It's a good thing we stayed to visit your old school buddy here in Florida or we'd all be taking a flight here." Brian whispers as they all sit down and talk about the past, the only thing that they all were connected to in some way or another.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 8 – Icy Treachery

“Go talk to her!” AJ hissed, pushing on Howie’s shoulder. Howie offered a terrified look in exchange as he glanced over to see Ana occupying her own seat on the plane. Nick smirked, knowing that Howie thought AJ was crazy for asking Howie to attempt the impossible. AJ sighed, sinking down deep in his sink. They had only been on the plane for about ten minutes, and Ana’s anger could already be felt through everyone. Her powers had acted as a cushioning system to her frustrations, plunging the cabin temperature down. Everyone shivered from the coldness, but Ana seemed perfectly fine as she sat by herself for meditation.

Howie shivered, rubbing his shoulders for warmth. He knew that Ana’s powers reflected all of the girls’ anger. They could not believe that the boys could betray them in such a manner. Howie struggled to remember why he hadn’t brought up the topic sooner to the girls. Then he remembered Ana’s glittery sapphire-emerald eyes and knew exactly why he had backed out. He was terrified in hurting her. However, he was paying for it now. The boys sat in the front of the plane while the girls occupied the back. Jamelet and Summer pressed themselves together for warmth in the back of the plane, carelessly flipping through magazines. Ana was listlessly staring out the window, watching the clouds roll by.

“We’re idiots,” Nick sighed, smacking his forehead.

“We could have told them the second we got there,” Howie agreed.

“But, unfortunately, we were thinking with our pants, again!” AJ growled in frustration. Jamelet and Summer were protecting Ana by refusing to speak to the other boys. Nick had commented that he was still on speaking terms with Jamelet, but that immediately went sour when Ana gave Howie the frosty glare. Now, Jamelet and Summer only spoke between each other. When they caught the boys glancing at them, they would frown and quietly discuss something between themselves.

“Shut up, AJ,” Howie and Nick hissed.

“It’s the truth!” AJ protested, folding his arms across his chest. He glanced to see Ana sitting in the middle of the plane with four seats to herself. Her legs were folded beneath her as she stared out the window. Her eyes shadowed her pain of betrayal. She began to wrap a long strand of honey-blonde curl around her index finger. She refused to cry in front of the boys. She had shown a tough exterior through her hellish nightmares of childhood. She glanced back to see all the boys staring at her. She gave a frosty glare, turning away and pulling out her phone. AJ shivered from the nasty glare. “You seriously need to go over there and smooth things out. It’s going to be pure Hell at Nick’s place if you keep yourselves on that type of communication.”

“Excuse me? Shouldn’t you two go offer your pleas to Jamelet and Summer?” Howie scoffed, refusing to face the chilly battle of words with Ana.

“We can’t talk to Jamelet and Summer without Ana’s approval. She’s like the damn head of the household. They’re protecting the kid by not speaking with us. They know that if they speak with us without Ana’s consent, they’ll be thrown on the outs with her, too. They can’t afford that again!” AJ explained sensibly. Nick nodded in confirmation, glancing at Howie with hope.

“I’m going to be a Popsicle if I go over there!” Howie moaned in agony. He hated that he was the cause of Ana’s discomfort. He could only remember being inches away from Ana’s sweet lips as Summer shouted the words of Howie’s treachery. They had been so close to figuring out what they wanted from a relationship. They were so bitterly close. Howie believed that he had heard Ana’s loving heart turn to ice and shatter the instant Summer mentioned CAPPA. Howie’s heart ached as he glanced back to see Ana dialing a number on her metallic purple cell phone. Howie glanced back to see the boys glaring at him for his frightened nature. “Don’t make me go over there.”

“Just take a chance!” Nick growled.

Howie sighed with regret, standing up. Jamelet and Summer arched their eyebrows in confusion as they watched Howie wipe his sweaty palms off on his pants. He stepped toward the middle of the plane, watching Ana turn her back to face the window. She hadn’t noticed that he stepped forward to speak with her. He gently slid onto the seat without disturbing her. His hands became sweaty as she curled her legs back under her bottom again. Her blonde curls fell over her ears as she spoke into the phone. Her honey-coated voice chirped happily at whoever she was speaking with and it made Howie sick to his stomach with regret. He wanted to reach out and run his hands through her silky curls, but held his breath.

“Hey! Tommy! Sam! Zachy! Aidan! Elijah! Dudes! I know that you’re probably partying really loud at Elijah’s house without me right now. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t show up to show you how to really live, but something came up. Jamelet had to fly out of state for her family and she wanted Summer and me to tag along. I’ll be gone for a while, so don’t worry. I’ll call you later when you have some free time, okay?” Ana announced, her tone slowly drifting to a sad manner as she clicked the phone. She sighed heavily, shoving her phone deep into her front jean pocket. She turned around in time to face Howie. She gasped with complete surprise, jumping backward.

“Ana! Woah! Don’t do this!” Howie pleaded, watching her skin begin to turn an icy blue. She decided that she didn’t need to speak with him. He shivered as the temperature dropped further than before. He heard Nick and AJ groan, reaching for a sweatshirt or something of warmth. Ana’s eyes turned a deep blue, shining with anger and frustration. Howie gulped, realizing that she could kill him if she decided to do so. He reached out with his hands, trying to make her stop. “Let me explain, please! It wasn’t what was supposed to happen. I was just trying to connect with you, because my heart was telling me to do so. Then I wanted to explain. I NEVER meant to hurt you—”

“No excuses!” Ana growled, pushing her palm toward Howie. In a mere second, a thick icy point shot out of Ana’s palm. The sharp, cold blade stopped mere centimeters from puncturing between Howie’s eyes. Ana was not impressed by Howie’s excuses and she would not be placed in a corner about her feelings. She seemed to loathe the sight of him. Howie felt faint as he fell backward onto the cold floor. Ana left the blade of ice absorb back into her cold skin. She stared down at him with triumph. Howie held his hand against his heart as her icy blonde locks fell against her pale cheeks.

“Stay the Hell away from me, Mr. Dorough!” she hissed. With her decision being clearly stated, Ana flipped over backward over her seat to escape. She trudged to the back of the plane where Summer and Jamelet immediately parted ways. Ana sat between them, and slumped down in her seat with disgust. Howie scrambled up from the floor, hurrying to the safety of the front of the plane.

“That was a little harsh,” Summer whispered to the younger woman. Ana glared at Summer with disapproval, obviously disagreeing with the comment. Summer whistled in surprise, holding her hands up with defeat. “Okay! I retract the previous statement.”

Ana seemed satisfied and leaned her head on Jamelet’s shoulder. Jamelet started to run her hands through Ana’s tangled locks, but yelped in surprise from the freezing temperature against her skin. She pulled her arm away to see a red welt of frozen skin appearing on her shoulder. She hissed, rubbing the sight of the injury. “What is it with you guys using your powers on me!” Jamelet groaned, “You’re so cold, Ana!”

“I can’t help it! I’m extremely pissed. I need to release my anger with my powers, or I’m going to explode. I have to get rid of this negative energy somehow, but it doesn’t work when Howie comes up trying to lie to me!” Ana explained with a feverish glare.

“Honey, you’ve got to calm down. Everything is going to get better once we’re away from the danger,” Jamelet corrected. “You’ve really got to forgive them.”

Ana snorted in protest, “Nothing is going to be right anymore. Those idiots took me away from the one place where I was truly happy. This is unforgivable, Jamelet, I don’t know why you two are so easy about what happened! You two are so naïve about this ordeal. Don’t you remember? They lied to us! I won’t forgive them! They took me away from my freedom, my happiness, and my college where I was earning my medical degree! I’ll never be able to get those credits back. My dreams are crushed once again.”

“Oh, Ana,” Jamelet sighed, reaching out to embrace the girl.

However, Ana rejected the invitation of hope and stood up to avoid the hug of sympathy. She would not be swayed in her judgment against the boys. She was stubborn in her ways and would not break. She offered the girls a pitiful look of agony. The girls could tell that Ana was truly hurting. “Excuse me, I would like to be alone for the time being,” Ana announced quietly, removing herself from the presence of her “mothers” to be alone.

*~*~*

Coby smiled with approval as he removed his hands from his forehead. His dark black eyes ceased glowing as the images disappeared. His mind projected perfect pictures of the experiments and their futile plans. They could not hide from his masterful plan, no matter where they ran. He smiled with amusement, vividly sensing Ana’s agony and desperation to get away. The male experiments had expertly placed Ana into his hands without realizing the consequences of their foolish mistakes. He could have not asked for a better showing of stupidity from the males.

“Mr. Williams?” a voice called out, stepping into the President of CAPPA’s newly refurnished office. Coby turned himself around in his leather chair, folding his hands together and setting his elbows on the mahogany table. His dark curls were brushed backward and fell devilishly against his forehead. He was a handsome man with many goals. He would surpass his father’s expectations.

“Yes?” Coby boomed, his low voice rumbling from his chest.

“The press are here for another interview about the productivities of CAPPA.”

“Good!” Coby laughed, immediately standing up. He walked toward the wardrobe on the other side of his office. He glanced into the mirror, straightening his navy blue tie. He glanced back to see the quivering man hurry to his side to collect his briefcase. Coby smiled, glancing at the man. “Making a public announcement of CAPPA’s rebuilding was a genius plan, Miles! I couldn’t be happier with the results!”

“Sir?” Miles whispered.

“The male experiments have completely changed the females’ expectations of them. The only female experiment left with her powers is extremely bitter against the males for lying to her. There is no doubt that she will leave the group in search of her own safety. The female doctors will travel with the female experiment for fear of her getting hurt, then my plan will be executed. I imagine that it will take only a few days to gather the females into my hands without any protests.”

“Mr. Williams, how can you say that?” Miles whimpered.

“Miles, dear man, didn’t you know that I can see the past, present, and future?”

“E-E-Excuse me?”

Coby laughed, loving the affect he had on his workers. He was in complete control like the men before him. “Nothing, Miles. Please, go arrange to have my limo pulled around. I have a few more things to address before I head to the press conference,” Coby announced, shooing Miles off. Carefully, Coby went back to his desk. He picked up a late photograph of his father: Cyrus Williams, past president of CAPPA. Coby grinned in delight. “Father, you were foolish to believe that you could capture the Icy Female in hopes to harness her powers without her consent. You should know that you bring her to your side, let her learn to trust and confide in you, turn her against her friends, and give her the revenge that she so richly deserves.”

*~*~*

Jamelet and Summer sighed as they sat down at the large dining room table in Nick’s home. Howie, Nick, and AJ were in the kitchen ordering the food. The others sat around the table, nursing their own sodas. They had met Brian, Kevin, Natalie, and her new love interest at the airport. Ana had barely said anything when she greeted them. She gave Natalie a warm hug, but let the rest end there. Brian and Kevin were puzzled with her actions, Jamelet merely shrugged in a reply. They couldn’t begin to explain Ana’s behavior. She had been lied to and betrayed all her life. She had completely trusted the boys, only to have that trust shatter after believed she was finally happy.

“Is Ana okay?” Natalie finally asked, glancing at Summer and Jamelet with worry. Ana had stomped down into the basement of Nick’s house, knowing that’s where the girls would be sleeping for the time being. The basement was furnished like a large apartment, but Ana refused to comment. She locked herself below to vent off her angry ventures. Natalie and Galen exchanged worried looks as Jamelet sighed with sadness.

“Ana is far from fine,” Summer answered, knowing that Jamelet really didn’t want to get into the ordeal.

“Howie didn’t tell her, did he?” Kevin guessed with frustration. He and Brian had let the others go down to the girls in hopes that they could responsibly break the information. They had trusted the boys to do the right thing by the girls. However, nothing of the sort had happened. The boys had only created more problems than before.

“They all lied,” Summer confessed.

“Poor Ana,” Natalie sighed, leaning against Galen for support. She understood completely. She had watched Ana grow from a baby. The male scientists would always promise playmates to Ana and tell her that her parents were coming, only to crush her hopes when her energies were high. It was an efficient way for Ana to release her ice powers when she couldn’t harness them.

“We’ll have a talk with them,” Brian offered.

“Thank you, but I think we’re going to go down and see Ana while they order food,” Jamelet confirmed, standing up from the table. Kevin and Brian nodded, disappearing into the kitchen for a stern lecture. Natalie, Summer, and Galen rose in unison, following Jamelet to the basement. They could hear Ana cursing loudly and throwing things around with an angry temper. Jamelet feared the worse and ran down the steps. “Ana!”

They were shocked when they reached the basement. Huge patches of ice exploded around the room, sealing against the carpet. Ana stood by the bed, stuffing her things back into the Jansport that Jamelet had packed for her. Ana’s skin was a fiery blue, exposing her true feelings of fierce hatred. She hurriedly pushed some more clothing into the backpack and zipped it up, throwing it onto her back. She turned to see the four glaring at her with shock. Ana crossed her arms over her chest as a misty cloud of icy air began to float into the air surrounding her body, releasing her essence. “What?” she asked stiffly.

“What are you doing?” Jamelet blurted in fear.

“I’m leaving,” Ana answered shortly, puffs of cold air floating from her mouth with her words. Galen shivered, backing behind Natalie. He had only seen the experiments in their tanks under close observation. He was somewhat nervous, recalling the moments he had already seen Ana in action at CAPPA. He knew her strong abilities and didn’t want to upset her any more.

“Why are you leaving?” Summer asked, stepping forward.

Ana took a step back, looking at the frosty window she had sealed shut. She jumped onto the bed, melted the ice, and shoved the window open. She glanced at the others. “I can’t stay here with what they did to me. I’d rather be captured and put back in a glass case for viewing than escape with them. Let them defend their own battles. I want no part in what they have to offer. Those lying bastards—”

“Anastacia Grace!” Jamelet reprimanded. “You are acting like a child.”

“I’m acting like myself. You guys can’t possibly forgive them for what they did. They lied to us and acted for their own behalves. They were probably thinking about jumping in our beds instead of protecting us! It’s pure crap. I will not be apart of their diseased thinking. I’m going home. I don’t care if CAPPA is set up a few short miles from home, that’s my home! I don’t want to be anywhere else! I was happy there!” Ana shouted in distress, falling down onto the bed. She pounded her white fists against the mattress, allowing cold sobs to escape from her throat. Natalie looked at Galen apologetically and walked over with Summer and Jamelet.

“You’re going to make yourself sick, Honey,” Summer cooed.

“I’m not staying here,” Ana sniffled as Jamelet embraced her.

"We can go to a hotel then. We’ve made enough money to live comfortably in that huge house. We’ll just disguise our names and check in. It’ll be safer than going home. And we’ll be more comfortable without seeing them, okay?” Jamelet suggested, wanting to appease Ana’s emotions.

Ana nodded, rubbing her tired eyes. She allowed Jamelet to continue to hold onto her, rubbing her back. She had never received such affection as a child. She just wanted to be loved. She sighed heavily, closing her eyes. She decided going to a hotel was better than staying with the boys. “I’ll go to the hotel.”

“Good,” Summer sighed with relief, fearing that Ana might run away.

“Ana? Can I ask you a question?” Natalie asked.

Ana glanced up and smiled apologetically at Natalie after she spoke. Galen stepped forward to sit on the bed with the girls. He wrapped his arms around Natalie, knowing that she would ask Ana about the man running CAPPA. Natalie understood that the President of CAPPA had been a part of CAPPA’s networks for most of his life. Natalie only worked with the other doctors, but Ana had seen everyone in CAPPA. Natalie hoped that Ana could give her some kind of information. “What do you want to know, Natalie?” Ana asked. She leaned back against Jamelet, which caused Jamelet to chuckle in relief.

“Do you know who Coby Allen Williams is?” Natalie asked carefully.

Ana stared at Natalie in a perplexing state. She seemed to freeze in that position for a long moment. She glanced at Jamelet and Summer for some sort of hint. Her memories slowly began to churn in hopes to recover the name. She sighed, glancing at Natalie. “Coby Allen Williams is the President of CAPPA now, isn’t he?”

“Yes, but he’s been part of CAPPA since he was little. We don’t know who he is, but we hoped that maybe you could. We only spoke with a limited selection of people in CAPPA. Jamelet’s father owned CAPPA at one point, but she was always shielded from the truth. Do you know?” Galen asked politely.

Ana became silent again. She allowed her memories to seep into the front of her brain. She quickly processed information from living at CAPPA. Her mind froze against one clear image. Ana jumped, glancing at the others with confusion. Jamelet rubbed her shoulders, urging her to speak. “The only Coby I can remember was an experiment like me,” she announced, confusing herself.

“Excuse me?”

“His name was Coby Williams! He had unbelievable powers that were as strong as mine at a young age. He was a little boy that was in a cell right next to me for several years. We’d always talk, because we were both isolated in those huge metal tanks with bars. We were different from the others… We understood that and it bonded us from the very first day. He was cute, and older than me. He always said he would protect me and get revenge for me. It made me feel better to know that someone was on my side. He was always scared when Cyrus came down. He screamed for his father a lot. One day, Cyrus grabbed him and took him away… I never saw him again and I guessed I just repressed him from my memory. I remember thinking that Cyrus killed him and that I would be next,” Ana explained softly, finding tears gathering at the corners of her eyes from the memories.

“That’s unbelievable, I never heard of Coby,” Jamelet whispered.

“You don’t think that Ana’s Coby is the President?” Summer hissed in fear.

“I don’t know,” Natalie admitted honestly, “But we better be careful.”

“Can we leave for the hotel?” Ana asked, immediately changing the subject. Everyone glanced at one another, rolling their eyes. She glanced up from her memories to see the other girls packing for the hotel. She sighed with relief, knowing that they would drop the subject of CAPPA for the time being. Ana loathed the discussion of CAPPA and her lost friend. She found herself conjuring up mental images of his dark eyes, dark hair, and creamy skin. They had talked about being married in their sleepless nights where they lay in agony from injections. She sighed, running her hands through her thick blonde curls, knowing it was impossible that her friend had survived the vicious Cyrus. Ana fell back onto the bed, closing her eyes, trying to drift into another world of safety while the others planned their escape from the betrayal.
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**

“Termination of Sanity”

**~Chapter 9: Corruption in the Air~**

Jamelet flings the heavy suitcase onto the homely twin size bed as she can hear Summer muttering about Ana’s behavior. The girls rented a hotel room a few blocks away from Nick’s place and decided to stay there for the night to appease Ana’s intentions. Jamelet sighs and places her hands on the cover of the suitcase, “Summer, chill out. It’s not that bad here now is it?”

Summer glances over at her friend and smirks, tossing her golden locks over her small shoulders, “Well how can I say it that won’t make you think bad, see we were at a beautiful lavish mansion and now…” Summer stops mid-sentence, passing her hands to show the room, and gazes around the small lofty room that had two small twin size beds and a sofa bed on the ragged furry black sofa in the center of the small room. The mahogany planks covered the walls and floor, creaking at every movement within the room. A dusty glass pane window out looked to the small stores that littered around the town in Florida.

Jamelet rolls her eyes and blows out a puff of air, “Yeah well, I’m sorry miss beauty queen that this isn’t the luscious bedroom for your needs.” She hisses sarcastically.

“Don’t get mad with me! It’s not my fault we’re here. Its little Ana and her mood swings that we have to sleep all squished up.” Summer growls, her fiery emerald eyes blaze brightly in anger.

Jamelet gazes at her friend and sighs, running her fingers through her thick dark chocolate locks: “Yeah well. Guess we should get use to this lifestyle then since we took up the responsibility of caring for Ana.”

Summer sighs in relief and bats her eyes. The strain emotions plagued the entire group recently and with Ana’s sudden shift in attitude and the guy’s lies, it seemed everyone was on guard and protective of their own hearts.

“Sorry girl.” Summer whispers, scratching her arm gently.

“No prob. We’re all edgy with the whole CAPPA news and what not.” Jamelet tiredly states.

“I guess we’ll order something to eat then, I’ll call a take out Chinese place: we can have something decent to eat for now.” Summer states, ruffling through her small carry on suitcase to find her wallet.

“Good, I’ll take the same I always eat. I’ll go down to the lobby where I left Ana to see what she wants. I hope she figured out where the bathroom is: cause I have got to go!” Jamelet teases, jumping around silly. Summer smiles and giggles: slumping onto the edge of a bed to grab a phone and place the orders for their food.

“I’ll be back k.” Jamelet whispers, stepping into the carpeted hallway and closing the door behind her to meet up with Ana.
~*~

Nick grumbles and tosses an empty carton of milk into the trash bin, watching the news on the large flat screen television in the living room. He feels the sofa get heavier as Brian sits at the other end of the sofa smirking.

“Nick, do you want to talk to the girls?” Brian asks, his eyes following Nick’s vision to the screen.

“Who? Jamelet and Summer?” Nick mutters, keeping his gaze at the TV.

“Uh, yeah who else? Look Howie is gonna finally talk to Ana tonight and I think we all should go and apologize to all of them for not telling them sooner.” Brian whispers, patting Nick’s knee which was curled under Nick’s body.

Nick makes a smug look and grabs the remote control, flipping through the channels endlessly.

“Nick, did you even listen to what I said?” Brian asks annoyed.

“Yeah, heard ya. Girls, Howie, apology. Got it.” Nick mutters, staring annoyed at Brian.

“Good. We’ll head over to the Marquisette hotel where the girls are staying and we can sleep well tonight k, cause I don’t have time for this little silent treatment the girls are giving.” Brian mumbles, standing up: brushing off the crumbs of the cookies that he recently ate.

Natalie appears in the living room threshold and motions with her hand for Brian to come to her to talk. Obeying her, Brian walks over and they both quietly whisper about something that Nick couldn’t hear. Annoyed that nothing was told to him, Nick stands up and pushes his way rudely between the two and smirks as Brian yells out how rude that was. Nick waltzes into a corridor and saunters into the guest room he had set up for his friends. In the room, he sees A.J. shuffling through a pile of albums and CD’s while Howie and Kevin play a game of cards on a coffee table.

“So D, the guilt trip got to ya huh?” Nick states, plopping down besides A.J. on the dark forest green carpet.

Howie looks up from his card game and mumbles something under his breath.

“What D? What was that? I didn’t hear ya?” A.J. teases as Kevin throws him a daring glance.

Kevin growls and throws down his deck of cards, “A.J. is there anything else you want to say before you continue to distract us from the game?”

“Nope. That was it.” A.J. states innocently, his dark chocolate beams mischievously while Nick chuckles softly.

Kevin licks his lips and picks up his deck of cards, “Good. And let’s keep it that way.”

A.J. smiles and pulls out a CD from Nick’s rack which shelved more than one hundred different CD’s along the wall. After a few minutes of silence, A.J. decided to have a little fun and stared at the pile of cards lying scattered on the table. “Actually now that I think about it…” A.J. interrupts the silence causing Kevin to slam his fists on the table growling.

Kevin tenses up and cracks his neck on the side before turning around to stare at A.J. “You have till three to leave, before something happens to you.” Kevin’s eyes begin glowing a bright green.

A.J. raises his arms in the air innocently and shakes his head, “Now, now. Kev. That’s no way to talk to your best buddy like that. You know you can’t use your powers in here cause it would be wrong.”

Kevin smiles and nods his head in mocking matter, still teasing he whispers: “You’re right. That would be wrong.” He averts his eyes to A.J.’s pockets as a small sliver of red rays burns through A.J.’s jean pocket. The small burning stench rises in the air as A.J. sniffs and glances down worriedly at his black jeans.

“Hey man! Come on! Whatcha doing? These babies are brand new and you burned a hole right through it!” A.J. mutters, standing up and brushing his hands over the small smoke flames to take out the small mishap. Kevin simply laughs as A.J. growls out a profanity and steps out the room with the others laughing at him.

“He couldn’t handle the heat I guess.” Kevin murmurs as the other continue to chuckle softly to himself.

A.J. walks down the hallway and sees Brian and Natalie sitting in the living room discussing something. Curious, A.J. creeps to the corner and stays hidden, poking his head out to hear the private conversation.

“It’s not just them. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I can read people’s thoughts and hear their heart beat in my mind! I killed a guy doing that. Doc, I don’t know what to do. Kevin has been having problems too, the other day before we all got here, at the airport, Kevin touched a metal trash bin and it melted in his hands. Its like his body temperature went up for moment. I freaked out, cause Kevin looked lost and confused. Our powers are taking over our lives. If I can give them up I would, to live a semi-normal life. I have my fame already I don’t need this either.” Brian raises his palms to show the young doctor.

Natalie sighs and takes a look at Brian’s charred red hands. “I’m sorry for all that. It just means that you’re stronger than you thought. All of you guys are getting stronger by the minute. I would love to take a look at what you all do, but I don’t think Nick’s house comes equipped with any of the gadgets we can use for this.”

“You guys can use the backyard.” Galen states: entering the living room through another doorway.

A.J. watches in interest as the three exits the glass pane doors and step outside to Nick’s back yard.

“I’ll go get the guys and see what we can come up with.” Natalie states: brushing a stray dark brown strand away from her cheek as they step outside to the yard.

A.J. gulps and leans back into the wall, hearing Natalie cross the room, inching closer to his direction. A.J. sighs and grabs Natalie’s arm as she passing. She jumps in surprise, her dark brown eyes wide open. “Oh! A.J.! I didn’t see ya there.”

“I know. Uh, you want to see what I can do right?” Natalie nods her head and points to head to the backyard. A.J. obliges and waits for Nick, Howie and Kevin to join him. Once everyone was outside in the backyard, Natalie grabs a seat with a pad and pen in her hand. Galen pulls out a stop watch and whispers to Natalie shortly before calling out for A.J. A.J. steps forward as all the attention is on him.

“Alright A.J. Brian said you guys all found something new with your given powers, can you share it with us?” Galen asks, his dark green eyes piercing at A.J.

A.J. takes a deep breath and nods his head, “K, I found out I can go into anyone’s body and see what they see. It’s a bit weird but lately it does it by self and I can be in any one’s body. Not just who I chose.”

Galen raises his dark eyebrows and taps the writing pad in Natalie’s hand, “Ok, well can you go into one of our bodies?”

“I’ll try.” A.J. whispers and closes his eyes. Suddenly he feels himself light as if floating and then blackness consumes his vision. When he opens them, he doesn’t recognize where he’s at. He looks around and smiles, it was the hotel the girls were staying in and it seemed he was inside a cramp place. He scans his eyes and sees what the body is seeing. “Where am I?” A.J. whispers, hearing the familiar voice of Jamelet. A.J. gasps as he sees Ana swinging her legs on a bench waiting for Jamelet.

“Hey you, I was waiting for you to come get me. What take ya so long?” Ana whispers, her lean figure standing over the petite doctor.

“Sorry, I had an issue with the elevators. They take forever in this place.” Jamelet responds as A.J. watches Ana giggling and yawn.

“Tired?” He hears Jamelet whisper as Ana nods her head.

“Ok, before you sleep though, we’re ordering food: Summer wants to know what you want.” Jamelet states: pushing back a few brown locks that escaped the clip in her hair.

“Oh I don’t know, I’m down with anything that isn’t fried.” Ana murmurs as they begin walking back down towards the elevator bank.

A.J. silently watches as they wait for the elevator to arrive. It was strange being in another person’s body not having control but sort of having front row to what was going on. Ana snaps her gum as Jamelet snorts,

“Eww, tacky.” Jamelet teases as Ana laughs. Suddenly the quiet lobby was filled with a shocking rumble from below the building. A.J. gasps thinking it could be an earthquake.

The two women grab onto one another as screams from customers and employers of the hotel break into the hallways. People begin racing around the lobby as the ground begins shaking violently, slowly cracking in half.

“Oh man earthquake!” The girls hear Summer’s voice as she stumbles out of the stairwell corridor to join the other girls.

Suddenly Jamelet turns towards the front doors of the hotel and screams out as a small rocket like bomb hits the glass doors, shattering it. The girl’s gasp as over more than fourteen armed black dressed soldiers enter the doors, the glass cracking beneath their heavy black boots. Jamelet could feel Ana’s grip on her arm tighten as Summer whispers out to get out now. The three women gulp and begin racing towards the back exit, anything to escape the soldiers that arrive. A.J. gasps, seeing what Jamelet was seeing. He sees a soldier creep out the corners of the hallway the women are running on, only to begin shooting. The bullets gaze over Summer’s head as Ana growls, her sapphire emerald eyes begin getting cloudy and dark blue. Ana’s snowy complexion turns a shade of light blue. A.J. watches a soldier sneak up from a hidden corner in the hallway and grab Jamelet’s arm, pulling her into him as he shoots Summer: hitting her on the arm. She shrieks out as grabs her bleeding wounded arm as another solider coming from above in the ceiling through a grate, leaps onto of her, grabbing her. Ana swings around and extends her hands, ice covering the floor and walls and small icicles begin shooting at the on coming soldiers from her fingers. An icicle slams into a soldier’s chest cavity sending blood spewing out onto the crème walls and carpet. Ana smiles and turns around, her heart banging against her chest as she was suddenly surrounded by armed soldiers, all of them holding rifles and pistols at her direction. She gulps and sees Jamelet and Summer held by two soldiers at gun point with their hands raise in the air.

“Miss! Put your hands up in the air. If you use the ability on any of us, your friends will get killed.” A masked soldier states, his black helmet glimmering in the harsh white lights above him. He steps forward, his rifle pointing directly at Ana’s chest.

Ana growls and slowly raises her arms in the air, her heart banging in her chest.

Jamelet squeaks out, “Who sent you to get us?” her hands shaking in fear, it seemed her nightmare is coming true, CAPPA has gotten their hands on them again.

The soldiers laugh and the one talking to Ana: turns to look at Jamelet: “Under the new orders of Williams, he sent us to get you all. It seems he has a proposition for you Jamelet.”

Jamelet shakes her head, her heart banging in her chest as A.J. watches through her eyes, the tense anxiety felt.

Suddenly A.J. feels himself in the air, floating as darkness invades his sight. He snaps open his eyes to see Natalie, Galen and the rest of the guys surround him on a sofa.

“Hey buddy, there you are. We were scared for you. You passed out on us. This was the longest you’ve been out of your body. What did you see?” Brian asks: his azure eyes filled with worry.

A.J. lying on his back, struggles to sit up with Kevin’s help. He intakes a deep breath and stares nervously at the others. He whispers out as his hands begin shaking, “They’re in danger! They’re caught. CAPPA is here! They have the girls! We’re too late!” He gulps tightly and leans back on the sofa. He hears gasps around the room and quiet whispering.

Kevin shakes his head as he pats A.J.’s shoulder, “Damn, we’re screwed.” He whispers as the others stare at A.J. nervously. Now the next thing to do was how to get the girls out to safety without getting their selves caught.
~*~

Coby drums his fingers on the desktop, a smile crawling on his face as he flips through the glossy pictures of the past experiments 1A, the female group. “Miles do you think that the one caught will entertain me well?”

Miles looks up from the faxing machine and gazes at Coby, “Umm, well I heard the one that is caught has ice powers. Your dad was always talking about how a man names Steeles was fascinated with that woman, maybe he had a reason for it.”

Coby smiles, “I know who she is. She’ll remember me. As for the doctors, they’ll meet me for the first time.”

Miles clears his throat and tilts his head, “Uh, well I’m just curious, but Mr. Williams what do you have plans for the doctors?”

Coby snorts and stands up from his desk, walking over to Miles. “Oh I have my surprises, you’ll see. I have a special surprise for Sanchez’s daughter especially. Her father made me suffer and I’ll make sure she will experience what I went through.”

Miles gulps and nervously adjusts his wire rimmed glasses, “Oh sounds like revenge to me.”

“No, Miles on the contrary: It is what she along with everyone else in there needs.” Coby hisses, his handsome face beaming as he takes a small photo of Ana and kisses it. He places the photo back on the desk top and walks away, heading towards the doorway, “Come Miles. Company is coming and we have to greet our guests.”

Miles gulps and follows his boss, exiting the office and closing the door behind him.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 10 – In His Favor

Summer continued to thrash as several burly CAPPA workers hurled her into a thickly padded room. Blood smeared on the wall from Summer’s wound hitting against it, causing Summer immense pain. She screamed rough profanities as Jamelet was quickly ushered in. Jamelet had remained silent through the whole ordeal. Her face was pale with shock as she simply collapsed against the soft wall. Next, Ana was pushed roughly into the room, causing her to fall forward on the soft padded carpet. Ana lay on her stomach, listening to Summer continue to shout profanities, finding herself somewhat shocked. Things had happened so suddenly and Ana couldn’t find the emotions to react with as the door slammed shut against them.

“Why didn’t you blast them with some kind of ice?!” Summer screamed toward Ana. She pushed herself up against the wall, preparing to lunge out at the younger woman. Ana sensed the danger and quickly rolled onto her back, pushing her feet up to block Summer’s kicks. Ana’s hands had been handcuffed like the other women, leaving her useless to defend herself except with her legs. “How could you just sit there! You could have taken care of all of them! Damnit, Ana! First putting us in some trashy hotel, then you let us get captured by CAPPA! If we had stayed at Nick’s house, none of this would have happened! It’s like you planned the whole damn thing! What’s wrong with you?”

“Get off my case! It’s not my fault!” Ana growled, pushing as hard as she could with her powerful legs. With the burst of force, Summer went falling backwards onto the padded floor. She bounced, trying to get back to her feet.

“You ungrateful little brat!” Summer cursed, struggling to stand.

“Summer! Stop it!” Jamelet demanded angrily, not liking Summer’s attitude. She knew that when Summer became frustrated or angry, her mouth would become uncontrollable. She feared that Summer might say something to make Ana take arms against them.

“No, I have a right to speak!” Summer hollered, finally standing on her feet. She towered overtop of Jamelet, who sat slumped against the wall. Summer’s eyes turned dark as her sweaty blonde locks toppled over her shoulders. She was tired of doing what Jamelet decided. It was time for her to speak. “I blame this on you and Ana! Jamelet, we were finally rid of CAPPA for the final time, then you decided we needed to keep Ana. You came up with that stupid lie that her mother died! Her mother is quite alive and we shouldn’t be held responsible for that selfish child! That woman should have taken control of Ana a VERY long time ago! We shouldn’t have taken her in! But, with your stupidity, you made me lie to the brat and say that her mother died! Now, you threw us in CAPPA once again because you had to raise Ana! Thanks a lot, Jamelet! Thanks a freaking lot!”

“SHUT UP, SUMMER!” Jamelet screamed, knowing that the damage was already done. She looked toward Ana’s still body, fearing the worse. Ana was still lying on the floor, absorbing all the new information that had been brought to her attention. She was fighting the new anger rising against her soul. Her skin began to turn dark blue, waiting for the right moment to explode, but Summer didn’t seem to notice, instead she continued to belittle and rave about Ana’s incompetence and Jamelet’s stupidity for taking her under their wings.

“My mother isn’t dead?” Ana asked quietly, allowing the temperature to drop dramatically in the room. She concentrated on the handcuffs that linked her arms behind her back. Before Jamelet or Summer could make an excuse, the handcuffs shattered into tiny fragments of ice. They each became silent as Ana glared at them. “Jamelet, you lied to me? Didn’t you?”

“Ana, it’s not what it seems like…” Jamelet hesitated.

Before Ana could reply, the heavy metal door slammed open. Summer and Jamelet gasped as several soldiers pushed through the door, aiming their weapons upon them. Ana whirled and raised her hands to the men’s chest level in preparation to release her penned frustrations against the wicked men. However, a thick man’s voice booming for the men to drop their weapons caused Ana’s icy blue skin to tingle with knowingness. Immediately, a tall figure burst through the series of men, screaming angry profanities. He thrust his hands in wicked gestures while screaming, “I WANTED THESE WOMEN TO BE BROUGHT HERE UNDER PEACEFUL TERMS! YET! YOU DISOBEY ONCE AGAIN! I SHOULD HAVE ALL OF YOU THRONE INTO JAIL FOR THIS! THESE WOMEN HAVE BEEN HARASSED AND MISTREATED! IF THEY FEEL THREATENED IN ANY WAY I WILL PERSONALLY SEE TO IT THAT YOUR HEADS ARE FRAMED ON MY WALL!”

Ana let her hands fall to her sides as she heard the man dismiss all of the men in a rough manner. She narrowed her eyes, taking in the man’s features as he turned to gaze at her. His dark eyes sparked with remembrance as he gazed deeply into Ana’s sapphire-emerald orbs. His dark curls fell gently against his forehead as his cheeks caved into matching dimples from a dashing smile. His lightly tanned skin radiated underneath the lighting. He looked to be about six foot and two inches, towering over Ana’s five foot and eight inch frame. His large hands reached out to grab Ana gently by the shoulders, causing the blue in Ana’s skin to dissipate to the familiar creamy pale tone.

“Coby?” Ana whispered in utter amazement.

“Of course, Dear! I told you that I would always come back for you,” Coby whispered back in her ear, grinning at the dark blush exploding against her cheeks. He glanced up to the two guards who still stood beside him as protection. “Hill and Franklin, remove the handcuffs off of the other two women.”

“Yes sir,” they barked, hurrying over to the other women. Jamelet sighed with relief as the cuffs were released from her aching wrists. She finally noticed that there was blood seeping from her leg. She winced, knowing why she refused to stand. Summer’s arm was also bleeding from a gunshot wound. Jamelet held onto her leg as Ana continued to stare at Coby with amazement.

“Jamelet and Summer,” Coby finally asked, causing both the women to gaze at him. He offered a handsome smile of assurance. “I hope that my guards did not worry you. I asked them to come to you on a caring level, because I simply wanted to visit with Ana for the time being. I have seen her name in the papers and whatnot and wanted to catch up on old times. Forgive the company, but they do not wish to harm you. I hope that you will accept my apologies and allow my doctors to attend to your wounds?”

“Of course,” Jamelet answered quietly, still not knowing the angle being presented.

“Good, Franklin, take the ladies to get cleaned up. While that is being done, I will take Ana with me. I would like to show her the grounds since I have taken over the CAPPA Industries. Ana, would you care to join me?” Coby asked politely, holding out his arm for Ana to take if she wished.

“I would love to,” Ana answered, giving Summer and Jamelet one more frosty glare before disappearing with Coby. Jamelet slumped against the padded wall with fear. Something about Coby didn’t add up completely. And her heart ached knowing that Ana had been hurt and there was probably no way of fixing the destruction with Coby interfering with Ana’s heart.

*~*~*

Ana was in complete awe as Coby ushered her into his luscious apartment complex that was attached to the CAPPA industries. She had spent hours under his wing while he showed her the entire works behind the new CAPPA. Ana felt secure when Coby talked about his plans and dreams. Coby had been completely honest with Ana from the start. She sighed happily as he sat next to her and offered her a soda. She knew that Coby wouldn’t abuse her trust, because he had experienced the same things.

“Thank you for showing me around,” Ana told Coby happily as she took a large gulp of her soda. Her sapphire-emerald eyes sparked with amusement as Coby studied her. She knitted her light eyebrows together, knowing that Coby was in intense thought. She had spent so many years with him locked in the basement of CAPPA. She was still amused that she could read his body language and thoughts after all the time spent away from each other. “Coby, what’s the matter?”

“I’m just amazed that you’re so perky after those doctors lied to you,” he whispered softy, running his hand against her thick honey curls. She shivered, sitting back on the soft white leather couch. Her heart was still sour at Jamelet and Summer. She didn’t want to believe that her mother was still alive. Why would the girls lie about such an important issue in Ana’s young life? Ana let out a pained sigh again with frustration of the because of the betrayal, feeling Coby touch her cheek lightly with his fingers. “I’m sorry that they hurt you again, Ana.”

“I don’t think they meant to hurt me like they intended… I mean, Coby, they do have a point about keeping me around. They don’t want to be back at CAPPA anymore. They feared CAPPA since the very beginning. They risked their lives making sure I got out okay and all… I guess I should have left again when I had the chance. I shouldn’t have bothered them, you know?”

“They have nothing to fear from CAPPA now, Ana,” Coby assured with a handsome smile. He reached out and brought her pale hands into his hands. She glanced at him with surprise, causing Coby to laugh. “I always enjoyed having you near my side. Do you really think that CAPPA is going to hurt you again? Didn’t I always promise you in those horrid tanks that I would take care of you?”

“You remember?” Ana asked in an awed tone.

“I never forgot that spicy personality you had. You gave all the doctors a run for their money. It made me proud to know I had a connection with your free spirit. I always remembered you, no matter where I went.”

“Where did you go when Cyrus pulled you away that night? And how did you get control of CAPPA?” Ana pondered.

Coby’s eyes turned a deadly black as he released her hands. He stood up, walking to the large picture window in his living room. He stared out at the thick ocean waves crashing against the decks of CAPPA. His face frowned with a tight grimace. Ana stood up, walking over to him. She rested her hand against his thick shoulder for support. Coby’s shoulders sag as he took a deep breath. “Ana, my father was Cyrus. He did testing on me when I was younger, causing me to have those powers that I always showed you. That night I left, he dragged me away because he was furious that I couldn’t control my abilities. He threw me into an asylum, proclaiming that I was insane. I spent many years in a padded cell, going completely mad.”

“Coby, I am so sorry!” Ana gasped.

“I know, me too. I never wanted to part with you, even if we were locked in those metal prisons… But, then, I was released from the asylum when my father died. It seems that the company was put into my name and I vowed to create a new CAPPA. I refused to have the experiments captured for my own delights. I simply wished them well. I’m hoping to create some kind of cure for those who wished to change themselves. But, I wouldn’t want to change myself. Ana, the power I have is what makes me an individual–”

“Coby! I feel the same way!” Ana gushed with amusement. She was so thrilled that she had finally found someone who she meshed so well with. Howie would sell his powers in an instant if given the chance.

“You do?” Coby asked wryly.

“Of course!”

Coby immediately rushed to her, picking her up and whirling her tightly in his arms. He kissed her cheek, causing her cheeks to blush with a furious fire. Coby smirked, crushing her small form against him. “Ana! I knew that you would feel the same as I do! We were almost identical during those years. That’s why I wanted to come and find you. I assure you that Jamelet and Summer are currently resting in their fabulous rooms. But I am offering you a chance to live with me in this apartment. I find myself so lonely without you. Please, will you stay at CAPPA and help me rebuild? We can make it a short stay or a permanent stay, whatever you decide. However, I need you at my side at least for a little bit. Let me help ease your pains of being burned by so many others. Please?” Coby begged softly.

“I’d love to stay,” Ana decided hastily. She no longer cared what Summer, Jamelet, Natalie, or the men thought about her decisions. She would live for herself. Summer and Jamelet would no longer have to care for her. She would do what she pleased. If they wanted to part wayws, so be it, but she was staying.

“Beautiful,” Coby rejoiced, kissing Ana’s cool cheek. “Let’s go downstairs and show each other how our powers have grown in our years apart.”
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**

“Termination of Sanity”

**~Deceitful Smiles~**

Summer whimpers in pain as the orange medication smeared over her open wound in her arm glistens. She clutches her arm protectively and glares at Jamelet.

“Oh come off it already.” Jamelet grumbles as she gently wipes away a trail of the dark crimson liquid that rolled down her leg.

“Oh that’s right. I can’t be mad, cause you think you did the right thing taking in Ana.” Summer mumbles quietly, her sarcasm evident in her voice.

“Just forget her for a moment. Doesn’t this whole thing with that man Coby seem a little freaky?” Jamelet asks, raising her dark eyebrows at her partner.

Summer sighs aggravated and stares at the large solid white room which seemed vacant with furniture except for the two medical metal tables that they were sitting on across from one another. The harsh yellow lights splash down on them as they continue their discussion.

“Coby? Oh that guy huh? Who knows and personally who cares? The way I see it, she probably had a little fling with the guy and now wants to make it up to him. In fact I think she’s in on this whole mess. Think about it Jamelet. How did CAPPA find us so fast? Plus the fact that that this Coby dude seems to a have fascination with our little Ana, I don’t know but I think we were set up.” Summer growls.

“Shut up. Ana’s not in with them. She couldn’t be. We took her in cause her mother wouldn’t take her under her custody. She feared Ana, heck I understand, I’d be freaked out to have her as my daughter but I care for her unlike her mother. She’s like a little sister to me and I couldn’t leave her alone.” Jamelet whispers thoughtfully, the corners of her eyes smiling at the soft memories of when Ana brought laughter to the girls during their living in Florida.

Summer sighs and finally smiles at her partner, “You always did have a soft heart for her. That’s why you make a great doctor…”

“I’m not a doctor.” Jamelet corrected Summer, interrupting her. “I was close to becoming one but after CAPPA and my dad’s death. I’m not much for working in the medicine field at the moment.”

“But you will be.” Summer grins, her soft golden locks swept up into a messy ponytail.

“Na, maybe. Who knows? I’m just not up to the whole thing right now. As for Ana, she’s a special girl. And even if she screws us over, at least I can say I tried to change her life and give her some form of happiness.”

Summer slides off the medical table and crosses over to her friend: the silent quietness clothes the atmosphere of the room, “I’m sorry I overreacted like that. That was out of line and if Ana truly wants to help us out then she will and if she holds it against us then well I guess we better find a way to defend ourselves.”

Jamelet raises her head to focus on Summer who stood in front of her with a smile on her gentle pale face. Jamelet gives a quick nod and Summer giggles, extending her hand out:

“So I say we apologize and start all over again. What do you say?” Summer beams, her emerald orbs glimmering happily in the harsh lights.

Jamelet extends her hand and both shake on it, “K. Hi, I’m Jamelet. What’s your name?”

Summer laughs and nods her head, understanding where her partner was heading with this, “Great. I’m Summer. How did you get stuck in this room?”

Jamelet snorts lightly and shakes her head, “It’s crazy. Quite a long story.”

Summer leans on the table end and smiles, “Well I’m willing to hear all about it. I think we have plenty of time for it.”

Jamelet shakes her head jokily and giggles, “You’re right about that girl.” And both sigh, staring in silence at the only other noise in the room: The ticking of the golden clock’s hand, moving slowly inside its circular black case on the wall.
~*~

“What do you mean you don’t know what happened here?!” Shrieks Brian at the security guard of the hotel where the girls were staying.

“Sir, just like I said. The side of this building was blasted down with a bomb. I was told an army was here to hunt down some people. But I wouldn’t know: it’s too vague. I wasn’t in here when the attack happened.”

A.J. nervously passes his fingers through his hair while Kevin inhales deeply.

“And you weren’t in here because?” Howie plagued the man, hoping he can find some answers though they all knew that CAPPA was behind all this devastation.

“My shift didn’t start a little after a quarter to ten. So I got here after whatever happened occurred. Look if you guys are worried that maybe somebody got hurt then I can’t help you. Maybe you can ask Johnny, he had the nine o’clock shift, I’m sure he saw the whole thing.” The young security man states wearily.

Kevin stares at the man intensely and breaks his gaze when Nick’s voice interrupts him.

“So I’m guessing this was Johnny.” Nick murmurs, holding the clothe arm of a corpse from a burned man, the charred remains of what was the skull. Its deadly gaze reflected the horror and torment the body must have consumed during its final moments. Nick managed to have found the corpse buried beneath the large chucks of plaster and cement that could have fallen on the man during his watch. The smell of burnt flesh and death lingered in the air softly.

The young security cries out in horror and steps closer to the corpse, kneeling down to get a closer look at the blue blazer that the dead body had on. Pulling the rest of the burned body out from underneath the mounds of materials, he nervously kneels down looking for some form of identification. The man tugs on the golden pin attached to the breast pocket of the corpse and yanks it off, the name ‘Johnny’ clearly printed on it.

“Oh God! Johnny man. Damn, what the hell happened to you?” The man cries out, a few tears leaking down from the corners of his eyes.

“Sorry.” Kevin whispers sadly, kneeling down besides the man, patting him on the shoulder.

“You know what we gotta do now right?” A.J. asks, fearing the answer but knowing all too well what the result will be.

“Damn it, back to CAPPA. Seems like déjà vu all over again.” Kevin whispers, giving a wistful look at the others.

Galen who was standing next to Natalie on the quiet pavement watch in fright as he shudders at the mention of the company, “Did, did you just say CAPPA? I know you’re not considering going back to that place now are you!?” He asks nervously, he squeezes Natalie’s hand tightly making her wince in pain. “Oh sorry babe. Nat sweetie, I don’t know if this is a good idea for the guys to head out over to that place. It’s too dangerous. If the girls are caught I think it would be wise for the police to handle this.”

“The police don’t know about this. CAPPA is something that the government has been keeping under wraps, even if we contacted them: they wouldn’t do anything about it.” Kevin whispers.

“I know you’re right.” Galen whispers defeated knowing even the police has been informed about remaining silent of CAPPA. He keeps his eyes down to the ground as a soft breeze brushes his fair face.

Natalie gulps and closes her eyes, “So they’re caught now, aren’t they?” She chokes out, her chocolate eyes brimming with tears.

“We’ll bring them back. You’ll see honey.” Galen states, comforting her as Nick smiles softly at her direction.

“I’ll make sure I’ll get them back.” Nick whispers. Suddenly the quiet serene atmosphere was disturbed by the wailing sirens of the police cars arriving at the scene.

A.J. sighs and gathers around Galen as the other guys join up. “Well the cops are here. I say we bounce before they start questioning us. Knowing CAPPA, time isn’t something they have and we gotta get there now.”

Kevin grabs A.J.’s shoulder and shakes his head, “Wait J! We can’t just go blasting through the facilities. There has to be a better way to do that.”

“Let’s see. We have unnatural powers imbedded within us and we’re five no with Galen makes six pissed off men and one woman. I say we’re off to a good start, CAPPA won’t know what’ll hit them.” A.J. gleefully states.

Brian shakes his head, “A.J. we can’t go after them yet.”

“What! Why not?!” Nick, Howie and A.J. respond in unison.

“Because our powers are still not under control. Guys, what if we’re saving the girls and our powers go haywire, then what? I’m telling you this is a bad idea.” Brian hisses, staring at his red charred hands painfully.

Howie grumbles and drops his arms to the side, “Ugh! I hate it when he’s right. You guys we gotta figure out what the deal is with our powers before we head out to search for them.”

Natalie gasps as she releases the grip of Galen’s hand. She begins backing away as the six men look at her confused.

“Naty, what’s wrong?” Galen whispers as the others watch her carefully.

Natalie slowly raises her hand and points behind the men, without ever saying a word. The men were turning around to see what was making Natalie so uneasy when they all feel the cold tip of the pistol on the back of their neck.

“Freeze! Don’t move! You’re all under arrest for the murder of John Quinn the security guard. You’re all suspects to this case and under the order of Terrance Williams, you’re all charged with the endangerment of lives here in the hotel.” One of the police officers state as six officers hold their pistols to the men.

A.J. gulps as they were all lead away to the police car in silence. They were all worried and confused. Why the arrest? They weren’t the ones involved with any of it, yet the police came for them. Something wasn’t right and they needed to find answers immediately. Kevin looks back at Natalie who was being questioned by an officer.

“Terrance Williams that’s nice. I gotta thank him for getting me a criminal record: it was something I always wanted to have.” A.J. hisses angrily as Galen stops and stares at A.J.

“Hold up. That name. I know it, I know him! I can’t believe he still lived.” Galen whispers in complete awe.

“Keep moving!” The officer growls, leading Galen towards a vehicle.

“Ok, ok, geez.” Galen mutters as they approach the police vehicle.

Brian grumbles and stares back at Galen, “You know that guy that just got us arrested?”

“Yeah, he’s Coby’s twin brother. I heard he died during a bogus experiment and the father denied he was responsible for his child’s death. The news talked about it for weeks over ten years ago. It’s crazy, cause if he’s alive then…” He stops mid-sentence as his jaw dropped open in utter surprise.

“Oh no! This can’t be good!” Howie states as he feels the officer behind him whisper something, pulling on Howie’s arm.

“We’re missing with two bad mother…” Galen continues and whispers out, but is cut off when an officer asked him to board the car.

“Now there’s two of the same?” Nick asks confused.

“Ok Nicky. I’ll explain to you later in blonde language ok.” A.J. growls as Nick throws a daring glance at the man.

Kevin boards the backseat and leans back on the worn leather seats in the officer car with Howie besides him as he tries to comfort his friend. “Ana will be ok. She’s a strong girl and you know that. You should have nothing to worry about. We’ll find her once we get out of the cops way.”

“I thought we had to work on our powers?” Howie asks glumly still not feeling satisfied with the answer.

“Forget that. The girls need us, Ana needs you. Or should I say it the other way around.” Kevin whispers, seeing Howie’s shoulders tense up. “You know you fell for her, why are you delaying to tell her?”

Howie was about to answer when Galen slides in the backseat joining them. Two officers board the driver and passenger seat, smirking and whispering something in secret as the car pulls off.

Brian, Nick and A.J. board another car and are taken away as Natalie boards on a police car alone with an officer behind the vehicle where Nick, Brian and A.J. are in.

The three cars pull away from the scene of the crime and drives down the dark road towards the police station.

Natalie sighs and shakes her head in embarrassment; she couldn’t understand why she was taken to the station.

The officer speeds down the desolate highway as Natalie stares at the cop nervously. She wasn’t really under arrest but was needed in the station for further questioning and as much as she wanted to avoid it, she needed to save the guy’s neck on this, she owns them for all they done for her.

“So.” The officer asks wearily, peering at Natalie every once in a while. “I’m really sorry about bringing you along, its only to cover all our tracks. I mean who ever was responsible for that blasting in the hotel killed that security guard back there. And since you all were at the scene of the crime, its only imperative that they all come with us.”

“I understand.” Natalie whispers shyly, keeping her gaze on the plain car mat where her feet are at. She didn’t know what to do, why the sudden arrest on the guys, this all seemed too fishy for her to take in.

After a few minutes on the vacant highway, the three police vehicles pull up in front of the seventeenth precinct. “Ok, well here we go little lady. I hope we didn’t scare you or anything. We’re all just doing our job. You understand right?”

Natalie makes a smug look on her face and replies, “Of course.”

“Good then, let’s go inside and speak to officer Williams.” The cop states: opening the passenger side and helping Natalie off the car. The six men and Natalie all enter the station as the soft cold breeze of the air conditioning greets them.

Howie smiles: welcoming the cool filtered breeze as he walks down the black checkered tile hallway along with the others towards the lobby of the station.
~*~

The door taps gently as it creeks open, he turns around and smiles welcoming an officer into the office.

“Welcome Norton, what can I help you with?” Terrance asks, adjusting his chair behind the desk.

“Oh just wanted to let you know that we arrested the suspects like you told us. But I’m a little confused as to why though? We have tons of eyewitnesses that reported they arrived after the attack occurred.” The young officer states in his dark navy uniform. He adjusts his black tie and stares at Terrance. Terrance: holding the same appealing look as his brother Coby with his dark hair and grey eyes as well as the similar facial features as their late father Cyrus, stands in front of him shuffling through a pile of papers.

“I have my ways. Now don’t ask and don’t tell ok?” Terrance whispers out harshly, pulling out a revolver from his navy blue pant pocket.

Norton gulps and nods his head, “I understand completely sir. But I was just curious that’s all.”

Terrance smiles and chuckles softly, inching slowly towards Norton. He holds the pistol directly in the center of the man’s forehead. “Ah, you know what happens to those with curiosity. It can kill ya.” Terrance hisses and pulls on the trigger, sending a lone bullet to crash into the man’s head. The popping sound goes off as the bullet makes contact with Norton’s head. No other sound besides the pop of the gun was a shock gasp from Norton. Terrance was greeted with a small spray of the metallic blood on his cheeks as he laughs. “Man what a waste.” He grumbles as the body tumbles onto the floor. Terrance sighs and kicks the corpse over to a corner and deposits the body into the trash compactor. Turning on the on button, he switches the machine on as the grinding begins. Terrance smiles: dusting his hands off with each other as if to declare his hands were now clean of this and walks away to meet the ones that were responsible for the killing of his father.
~*~

Coby opens the bedroom door and pokes his head inside it where in the center of the room was the large queen size bed where Ana lied sleeping in it. She was buried beneath a soft cotton quilt, sleeping peacefully. Only the golden strands lied sprawled out as her back faced him. For a moment, Coby was reminded of when she was a child, how small and helpless she looked. But Coby had always promised to protect her and he wanted to live up to his word. “Sleep well princess. Tomorrow will be a big day for the both of us.” And he smiles, stepping out the room and quietly closes the door behind him.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

A/N: Real quick, this is Ana's chapter, enjoy and drop a review.

Chapter 12 – Dangerous Chemistry

“What the Fuck are you talking about?! Those two were with us the ENTIRE time! And now you see fit to let them leave this hellhole and keep us here? What the Hell died up your ass, man?!” AJ cursed loudly as he shook the iron bars encaging him, Howie, Kevin, Brian, and Nick. His face turned red with anger as he let a string of profanities erupt at the man who held him like a caged animal.

“Do you think sweet-talk will allow you a Get-out-of-jail-free pass?” Terrence Williams snickered offered a cold smile of amusement toward the men. He found great delight in allowing Galen and Natalie to go free and allowing the others to dwell in insanity. Terrance was already informed of the five men’s detrimental powers if given the opportunity to use them. And, Terrance knew that Galen and Natalie were of no use to him. He knew that the boys would simply ask Galen to take Natalie away from the state and into safer territories. Everything would fall into Terrance’s hands.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” AJ screamed.

“Aje, shut the Hell up!” Nick hissed, grabbing his older friend by the back of the neck. AJ was making more trouble than they needed at the moment. With a heavy pull, AJ went flying backward onto a wooden bench propped up on the cracking wall. Dust exploded into the air, sending the boys into a coughing fit.

Terrance laughed, pulling on his favorite leather jacket. He had dressed down to a simple pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. His dark locks brushed away from his face. He wanted to make a good impression on his brother’s woman friend. He offered a dashing smile to Natalie, making her squirm with apprehension. “I’m sorry that I have to keep your friends overnight, but that’s basic procedures. I can’t derail any of it and I’m late for an important engagement. You, however, are free to go. Please use the taxi I have called outside to transport you in any direction you need – free of charge.”

“Do you mind if we speak to our friends first?” Galen asked, shielding Natalie with his own body.

“Jase, give them five minutes,” Terrance ordered to an officer at the desk. The man grunted, nodding with approval. Galen turned to at least offer a thank you to Terrance, but he was already out of the door and heading toward his expensive car.

“I’m going to tear his ass apart!” AJ screamed, lunging away from the bench. Howie sighed hatefully as Kevin grabbed AJ in hopes to calm him down. Howie stood and walked toward the edge of the cage to speak with Galen.

“I’m sorry that he won’t let you out,” Natalie whispered.

“I’m sure he has an ulterior motive,” Howie groaned.

“What do you want us to do?” Galen questioned.

Howie glanced to see his friends staring at him with apprehension. He could see the fear and worry etched in their tired faces. They were all waiting for him to make the final decision. The entire weight of the group had been shifted to Howie’s shoulders. He took a heavy breath, focusing on his initial thought: Get Ana and keep the girls safe. He spoke quietly, “Galen, I want you to take Natalie to a safe place and start some research on these Williams’ Boys. We’re going to figure a way out of this disaster and then we’ll call you.”
*~*~*

“Coby! Don’t you dare!” Ana shrieked with laughter. She hurriedly dodged behind a tall block of metal as a large swell of water broke around her, spraying her with a mist. Coby and Ana had traveled down to Coby’s practicing quarters to show each other the advances in their powers. Ana was amazed at the developments in Coby’s strengths. He held had a small mixture of all the experiments’ powers, along with other features that Coby was coyly hiding from her.

For the moment, Coby was teasing Ana with his Water Powers. He had somehow managed to create a powerful water gun with his hands. He was chasing Ana about the room, splashing her with brief periods of cold water. Knowing that Ana hid behind the castle of metal blocks, Coby signaled a strong gust of wind to blow him upward and land gracefully on the metal blocks. He was about to aim down, when Ana jumped up and shot several snowballs against Coby’s chest.

Coby gasped in surprise as he was thrown backward onto the floor with great power. He was stunned as Ana jumped down from the metal blocks and stood above her friend. She offered a flirty smile to her friend and pressed her right foot gently into his heaving chest. She blew gently on her pale hands with triumph. “No matter where we are, Coby, I’ll always beat the pants off you.”

“When the Hell did you get so strong?” Coby wheezed.

“Since I grew up?” Ana asked in a confused manner.

“You turned into quite a beauty,” Coby acknowledged.

Ana blushed furiously, reaching her soft hands out to Coby. He smiled gently, grasping her cold hands into his own. With one swift tug, Ana helped Coby back onto his feet. She gently brushed the snow away from Coby’s t-shirt. Her large sapphire-emerald orbs grew brighter as she stared at him. She found her heart beating against her ribcage in a wild manner, although Howie’s timid features flashed against the back of her brain. She felt a pain in her heart, knowing that she still longed for Howie’s enchanting embrace. She sighed, running her hands through her tangled golden curls.

“What’s the matter, Ana?” Coby questioned.

“Nothing! I’m just thrilled that you’ve advanced so well! I never realized you had mastered so many talents in such a short time!” Ana lied.

“You’re quite powerful yourself. You have more time to dedicate to one area of knowledge. With having so many powers, I find myself only having a limited knowledge in them. But you! God, Ana! You control the ice as if your very core is ice…”

“But it–”

“No, Ana, in your very core lays a blazing heart,” Coby whispered, stepping forward to take Ana’s hands into his own. Ana gasped softly, backing against a wall. Coby’s dark gray eyes were intense with pleasure and desire. He smiled devilishly, pulling Ana toward her. Her curls fell against her face as he offered a warming kiss to her velvety lips.

“OH, BROTHER! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CREATURE!” a voice, similar to Coby’s voice, echoed against the metal walls. Ana jumped as if she had been touched by electricity. Her eyes went wide with appreciation as the person came into view. She found herself gasping in shock as she stared at two identical men. Her heart began to pound intensely as she studied the new man. He looked like a clone of Coby, only dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans, and leather coat. The man smiled devilishly as his gray eyes glinted with amusement. “Dear brother, didn’t you tell this delectable woman that you had a twin?”

“Coby?” Ana whispered.

“Ana, this is my twin brother, Terrance,” Coby announced, pointing to the identical match beside him. Ana stared deeply into Terrance’s eyes, noting that Terrance’s gray eyes held a darker tint that Coby’s kind eyes.

“Hello, Terrance,” she greeted politely, offering her hand to Terrance.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Terrance announced, taking her hand and offering a gentle kiss.

“I had no idea that Coby was…”

“An identical match to another?” Terrance laughed.

“I suppose,” Ana agreed, glancing to Coby with hesitation.

Immediately, Coby stepped toward Ana to intervene. He wrapped his arm gently around her waist, pulling her away from Terrance’s grasp and sight. He bent down to place a gentle kiss on her cheek. “I’m sorry that I hadn’t told you before, but we just recently found each other. Terrance was thrown away from the family because he never grasped onto his gifts as well as me. Father kept him contained in another state with beneficiaries while I was tested in CAPPA. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Ana’s emerald-sapphire orbs lightened dramatically once Coby flashed a timid smile. It was obvious that whatever qualms Ana had first had were buried beneath her lusty exterior. She immediately wrapped her arms around Coby’s neck and offered an affectionate kiss onto his cheek. She then released him and turned toward Terrance. “I’m positive that if you’re as sweet as Coby that I’ll love you, too!”

“I agree whole-heartedly!” Terrance laughed.

“I suppose you two have things to discuss?” Ana asked, arching her light eyebrows toward Coby. Terrance nodded and Ana smiled with the confirmation. “That’s fine with me. I was tired of Coby soaking me… Is it alright if I go check on Jamelet and Summer?”

“Of course, although I don’t see why you would want to be bothered with them… It’s obvious that they hurt you tremendously the other day,” Coby replied hatefully. His gray eyes turned a dark steel to match his brother’s hazy eyes. Ana began to chew on her bottom lip and shrugged carelessly. Coby quickly swept down to brush a kiss on her lips. “They’re in the recovery unit of CAPPA. Ask the guards and they’ll direct you to them.”

“Perfect! Thank you, Coby! It was great meeting you, Terrance!” Ana called, running toward the doors and disappearing.

“She’s quite a delectable fruit, brother. You have grand taste when it comes to that beauty. No wonder Father had such an interest in her. Of course, there’s no doubt that she helped kill him. There’s definitely a fire in her eyes. An attractive piece to add to our family, Coby,” Terrance announced with pride. He laughed as he and Coby walked into Coby’s massive office. Coby’s eyes grew dark at Terrance’s sexual comments about Ana. Terrance paid no attention to his twin’s reaction as he fell into the soft leather chair. He leaned backward, folding his hands behind his neck. “Do you suppose that Ana would agree to relations with both of us?”

“Terrance, what do you want?” Coby finally hissed.

“Pardon? Is it a crime to visit my dear brother?”

“Terrance, I know you better than that. You always have plans up your sleeves. Did you jail the male experiments? I’ve been speaking with Ana about them. It seems the short dark-haired man… Damn… What’s his name? Howie! Yes! It seems that Howie has developed a strong attachment to my Ana. Make sure he rots in that cell, do you hear me?”

“I already have them in custody! However, I find that amusing… Howie Dorough has an attraction to your sweet ice? I suppose I will have to indulge myself in torturing once I’m back at the prison…” Terrance laughed.

“So, you have them?” Coby sighed with relief.

“Of course. They are in my custody until I say any further. So, do not worry about them foiling your plans with Ana. Nor will I worry about them foiling with our plans for greatness. Now, since I have done your bidding, have you done mine?”

“You mean the pathogenic blood?” Coby questioned.

“Of course.”

“I have it stored in the laboratory. However, that blood is quite potent and will harm anything that it is injected into. Are you sure that we want to proceed with such dangerous transgressions?” Coby questioned, sitting on the leather couch.

“Are you sober?” Terrance laughed cruelly. He leaned forward on the chair and slammed his hands against the dark mahogany desk. Coby tensed as Terrance’s eyes turned black. “Those women you have in containment have HELL to pay for what they did to you! Do you have any idea how hard I worked trying to compete with the wonderful Jamelet Sanchez during our times at this damn corporation? Or, don’t you remember how father’s doctors treated you and Ana while you were imprisoned in those metal boxes? I certainly remember all the tapes they made watching you and Ana. They acted as if you two were some prized dogs at a show! How dare you ask if we have a right to do this! Damnit, Coby! Are you destroying our plans or do you actually want to avenge Ana’s painful childhood?”

“No.”

“No you don’t want to keep your promise you made to Ana?” Terrance sneered.

“No, I’m not destroying our plans,” Coby gritted.

“Good. Now, when can we start?”

Coby’s eyes grew dark with hate. He stood up and pulled a suede jacket over his gray tank top. “Soon. For now, allow yourself the pleasure of tormenting the boys in the jail. We can administer the pathogens in a matter of a few days. All I have to do is completely trash Ana’s confidence in the doctors and we’ll have the power and complete control. “

“Termination of Sanity”



**~Toxic Blood~**



Brian hums quietly to himself, watching Kevin sitting on a wooden bench cursing up a storm in his quiet rage.



“Why, why the hell do we have to be in this jail? I feel like this CAPPA junk is never gonna end and its like we did a 360 starting back at the freaking beginning.” Nick mumbles, kicking imaginary lint that was besides his foot.



Howie leans his head on the cold iron bars that held them encased, “How are we gonna get out of here?”



A.J. snorts and violently kicks the cement wall behind him, cracking a chunk off the plaster. “That’s one way.” He growls, backing away to examine his mess.



Nick laughs and was about to join A.J. on the whole destroying their cell but Kevin stops him, pulling the young man away from the wall. “Stop it both of you! There’s no way out of here unless we get the key to unlock this thing.”



“Hello, J, don’t you do that? Can’t you unlock us from this place?” Brian asks, sitting up in the cot.



“Uh, yeah if I could, don’t you think we’d be out of here by now!” A.J. sneers, the sarcasm dripping in his voice, “Obviously whatever the hell this place is made, is withholding me from using it.”



“Well try anyway A.J!” Nick states desperately.



A.J. shakes his head and sighs, “Fine, you’ll see what I’m talking about.” The cell quiets down as a security guard passes by them. All five pairs of eyes watch intensely as the guard slowly eases his way pass their cell, stepping leisurely one step every few seconds.



Once the guard makes his way pass their cell, Nick races to the front and eyes to see if the coast is clear. “Go, go, now!” He hisses at A.J. who smirks.



Standing in the center of the cell, A.J. cracks his knuckles, spreading his arms out in front of him. He stares at the metal lock that sustained them and exhales. The metal key lock jiggles but the bars remain closed.



A release of profanity was strewn out from the five men as A.J. drops his arms to the side in frustration.



“I told ya! I can’t do it. Something is keeping me from using it in here.” A.J. grumbles, feeling Howie’s sympathetic hand on his shoulder.



“Look maybe we can talk to that guard, he has to release us, there’s no warrant for our arrest, he can’t keep us here without it and it’s violating our rights.” Howie whispers, receiving daring glares from Brian and Nick.



“Howie’s right. The police don’t have the right to arrest us for simple accusation unless there’s evidence and the only thing they have is…” Kevin stops mid-sentence to see if the others were listening and finishes off, glaring at Howie, “Us standing in the middle of the chaotic destruction! You think that’s proof enough Howie or do you need more?”



“Hey I’m not the bad guy here!” Howie said defensively feeling the piercing glares coming from his band mates.



“No one said you were but maybe that’s your guilt talking.” Nick hisses, hurling a punch on the wall next to his cot. Pulling away his dusty hand from the wall, he smirks and gazes at the small ruin he created.



“Ok! Listen up! This is tearing all of us apart if we can’t figure out how and when we can get out of here!” Kevin takes on a commanding tone, standing in the center of the cell, all eyes on him.



“Fine sergeant Kevin, what do you propose we do then?” A.J. grumbles, rubbing his sore knuckles pensively.



Kevin smiles and pulls out a two way he had hidden in the back pocket of his jeans.



Brian chuckles softly, “Why didn’t they take that away from you? They took all our stuff before putting us here in the cell.”



“Ahhh, not all our stuff.” Kevin smirks, raising his dark eyebrows and sends a message to Galen.



“If you get us out of here Kev. I own you.” A.J. says.



Kevin smiles, “Well you better start thinking of how you gonna repay me back cause we’re about to leave here shortly.



Howie raises his dark eye brows towards A.J. who snorts and shakes his head while Brian and Nick watch Kevin sending a message to Galen’s phone.

~*~

“This is a bad idea Kim. I can’t do this.” Rose pleads with her friend.



Kim rolls her dark eyes and snorts, strapping on her overstuff backpack onto her shoulders. “Look, you can stay here and worry about if and how you’ll get your powers back, but as for me, I’m heading down to the south. I have two tickets, for the both of us. If you decide to stay here, I’ll expect full payment back for the airline ticket. If you’re coming, then great. So what will it be?” The average height woman states, tapping her foot impatiently on the rugged bedroom floor.



Rose sighs and drops her head, staring at the beige rug below her. “We’ll never find them. Plus it’s been over six or so months. I’m sure they forgot about us already.”



“Or maybe they haven’t. I say let’s go. What do we have to worry about?” Kim beams brightly, eyeing her blond haired friend.



Rose gulps and sighs, “Oh man, fine. I swear if my parents found out I ran away though, they’ll kill me.”



“Not if we tell them you’ll be at my place.”



Rose snorts, “Oh yeah that plan will work, your parents will call mines and they’ll all find out the truth.”



“But ahhh, see this girl thought of something, see I told my parents I heading down south to check out some colleges I applied for and you’ll be with me. Parents love that type of the stuff especially when their children think ‘about their future’. So Rose, what will it be? You down or what?” Kim stares at her friend intensely.



“I’m in. But real quick question, why do want your powers back? I mean we’re living here away from that craziness, why go back to that life?” Rose asks skeptical, doubts flooding her mind.



Kim sighs and grabs her jacket off the chair, “Same reason you want it back. Those powers: whether we like it or not, are who we are. Taking that away is like taking part of our life away. I want them back. I feel too different and those powers helped me understand who I am or at least who I was. Now that I gave you the whole analysis of my life story, get your stuff and let’s go.”



Rose smirks and they climb out of the bedroom window, hoping that when Rose’s parents wake up in the morning, they won’t freak out and call the police. The last the two girls needed to deal with was the police or any form of government officials.

~*~



The metal door slides open allowing Ana to enter the room where Jamelet and Summer are in.



Both women glance up to snort, glancing at each other before speaking.



“Well look what the cat dragged in.” Summer growls, cracking her knuckles, leaning back on the metal table.



Ana snarls at the fair haired woman and stares at Jamelet, “Do you have anything to say to me?”



Jamelet raises her head up slowly and sighs, “Am I suppose to?”



“What’s with the attitude, personally I just think you’ll all bitter about being back here, but guys it’s different now! You don’t know Coby like I do. He’s real cool, he isn’t the bad guy here…”



“Ana, if it involves CAPPA, there is never a good guy in it. Whether this Coby has good intentions for this twisted company is hard to come by, I’ll guess I’ll have to find out.” Jamelet whispers softly, raising her light coffee eyes over at the dull gaze given off by Ana.



“Ana, he changed you. You’re not the same. You hated this company with all your passion and now you’re suddenly down with all that’s going on. You don’t even …” Summer begins stating but stops mid-sentence to catch Ana examining the orange medication on the women’s arms.



“What, what are you doing?” Summer asks uncomfortably, inching back on the edge of the medical table.



“Just wanna see what they put on your bruises, that’s all.” Ana whispers, gently clasping Jamelet’s arm into her palms, watching the smeared orange liquid bubble quietly above the exposed cut.



Jamelet glares at Ana and softly pulls her arm away from further viewing. “It’s just an antibiotic, I’ll be fine if you’re suddenly worried about me.”



Ana pulls her hand away in distress, feeling the hurt in the women’s voices, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you two, you act like I’m the bad guy now.”



“You might as well be.” Summer hisses, the burning emerald orbs cutting into Ana.



Ana smiles, “You just don’t know how lucky you both are. Coby is a good guy. You’ll see. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. I mean he showed me the entire compound of CAPPA. Hell we even played around with his powers.”



“Powers?” Summer squeaks, “Ah no. This doesn’t sound good, he has powers and he’s running CAPPA. This is great, I’m in Hell already.”



Ana giggles, cocking her head to the side, “I don’t see why you all are freaking out. There’s nothing to worry about.”



“Why are you here, really Ana? What did you really have to tell us?” Jamelet murmurs, glancing down at the harsh silver tiles that covered the entire room: both ground and walls.



Ana narrows her eyes, her gentle honeysuckle tresses tickle her cheeks, “Just wanted to see how you both were doing. But as I can tell, you don’t want anything to do with me at this point. I come in worried to see you and you both greet me with distaste.”



“Yeah, well that happens after you tried attacking me!” Summer hisses, rolling her hands up into fists.



“Summer relax…” Jamelet’s whisper cut in.



“No, let her talk. She has problems with me. I’m interested to see what she gotta say.” Ana growls, stepping towards the woman.



Rolling her eyes, Summer makes the initiative to raise her fists and was about to swing, when she was suddenly thrown off the floor by a biting ice cold wind, knocking her unconscious against the opposite wall.



“ANA!!! OH God, she better still be alive!” Jamelet cries out, rushing over to her ailing friend.



Ana’s cloudy sapphire and emerald eyes clear up and focus on Jamelet, “I don’t see why you put up with that intern. She’s good for nothing. You could have achieved something far greater but she’s only holding you back.”



Jamelet kneeling over unconscious Summer, gulps and turns to face Ana from the ground. “What’s happened to you? Summer’s right, that man has changed you. What happened to your heart? How could you hurt the ones you love?”



Ana growls, snorting: “Coby showed me better.”



“What?! You’ve only known that man for two days and already you think he’s the world to you. Meanwhile, I’ve known you almost your entire life since you were captured and you can’t stand the sight of me now! I don’t get it!” Jamelet cries out, trying to contemplate the ideas thrown at her.



The harsh white lights gleam down over the women as Ana leans over Jamelet, her light eyes glowing in a mesh of blue and green. “You can never relate to what I had to endure while you lived a normal life. But Coby can, he can, ‘cause just like me he was captured and thrown away from society because of who he was and it was all your father’s fault!”

“Why can’t you leave that man alone? He dead alright! Let him rest!” Jamelet screeches out, standing up defensively, eying the changed woman before her. “Where’s your love, your heart? You’re not the same Ana I met.”



“That’s right, the old Ana was weak, willing to sustain to your mere rules and ideologies, but not this one. Not the one you see before you now. My head has been cleared of all the cobwebs and chains that this society, you and CAPPA have built in me. He sent me free and that was something you never did.”



“Free? Is this what you want? Freedom? Ana, I provided that for you, as well as for the other four women as well. You wanted freedom and I helped released you from such things, you were grateful, at peace for it. Why now do you take a mere stranger’s sayings and trust them more than me: someone who knows you more than you can ever imagine.” Jamelet whispers, tremors escaping through her body as she shudders and withheld her sobs.



Ana drops her head and smiles, simply brushing away the one lone tear that managed to break through the hard case that Ana had built within herself. “This is a different freedom. You don’t know what its like to live the life I do. You don’t have these so called gifts transferred into your blood like I do. So you don’t understand and never will. I thought I could come in here to seek your forgiveness, but I see you made it clearly you want nothing to do with me.” Her soft whispers escaping smoothly from her mouth.



Jamelet shakes her head softly, “No, no. That’s not it at all. Summer was just upset that’s all. She didn’t mean it. I’m sorry I can’t relate, but I’m trying to understand. You’re right, I’ll never know what its like to live that way and I’m terribly sorry my father changed your life to the way it is. That was not the intention. But don’t brush us off ‘cause we suddenly feel different about Coby.”



Ana looks up and breaks into a soft smile, agreement settling into her soul. “So you want me back?”



Jamelet breaks into a wide smile and extends her arms out, “Come here! You never left me girl!” And Ana rushes into the arms as both women break into laughs and smiles.



“Ahhhh, how nice.” Terrance whispers sarcastically from the surveillance cameras in his brother’s office, watching the two women in the white room embrace. “Really, Coby you should check this out, how sweet.”



Coby glides over and smirks, watching the black and white screens blink and jump slightly before changing back to vivid color.



“Well, lest you forget, show me to the quarters. I have to see the pathogenic blood before me.” Terrance whispers, rubbing his palms together in glee.



“Very well, it’s in the safety and captivity of the laboratory. I’ll show you the results of it on a person.” Coby whispers, shutting off the television screens and guiding his brother out of the room.



“Ahh you tested out already eh?” Terrance smirks.



“Yeah, I had to make sure it was the right antidote and examine the results of it, in which I’ll show you a few.”



“Hmmm, I’m loving it. I can’t wait to infect that little wench with it.” Terrance mutters, easing his way down the metal tiles, their footsteps being the only source of sound at the moment.



“Well, you can do whatever you chose to do with it, as long as it doesn’t involve Ana.”



Terrance smiles and winks at his brother, “Ahhh, speaking of her. What are you plans for the sweet morsel you have in your hands?”



“Ana?”



“Yes, who else do you think I’m discussing?”



“No one, I was just thrown off. I have no plans for her. She cares for me, faster than I thought she would have.”



“My, it seems our plan is working more than I thought it would. Who would have thought that a cold hearted girl as herself will so easily trust you?” Terrance whispers, both men walk quietly down a cement pathway, catching an elevator to the basement.



“Well I have my ways.”



“You know what you need to do. Coby you need to get with that fair hair angel and bang her brains out so you can move on with your life. You’ve had an obsession with that woman for the longest since your youth. You gotta let her go bro, seriously.” Terrance states, receiving a hurt glare from his twin.



“How dare you?! She’s beautiful and sweet, nothing more, nothing less. Don’t you dare talk about her in that matter! Do you hear me?!” Coby growls, his warm breath brushing on his brother’s face.



“Whoa, you’re coming to her defense! Since when?”



“I can relate to her, that’s all. Its not that I’m falling for her.”



“Relax, relax man. Wow, you get so uptight when I talk about her in that way. You act like she’s your girlfriend or something.”



“Well I don’t know about that. But I wouldn’t mind.” Coby hisses, his grey eyes turn a steel dark color, his brother’s words stinging his body.



“Ok, fine. Call it whatever you want. Hey, whatever floats your boat.” Terrance calmly states, a small grin etching on the corners of his face. He managed to yet again hit a sore spot on his brother’s ego and that brought about a smile on his face. ‘Imagine that, my brother falling for our enemy. I guess he has his reasons. She seems easy to get in bed with. Maybe that’s all he needs: a nice rumble in the bed and he’ll swap back into reality for once in his life.’ He smirks, receiving a dirty look from his twin. The metal elevator door spread apart as the men exit, entering the basement.



“This way to the blood works in Laboratory B112 .” Coby whispers as both men walk down the dimly light silver metal hallway. At the end of the short hallway was an iron door with a code ID to enter. Coby pulls out the company card out, swiping it through the slot and presses a four digit code. The door buzzes and a red light appears above the door, allowing entrance through it. Coby smiles and turns to his brother, “You ready? You might like the results. They work thoroughly just like you wanted it too.”



“Great, let’s get cracking to it.” Terrance smiles, entering the inviting cold morgue that CAPPA had freshly implanted only weeks ago.



Coby walks over to a metal cabinet which are where the corpses of the companies past employers laid in. “Take a look at this one Terry.” He whispers, grabbing the metal opening and sliding open it open to expose the well preserved frozen human corpse.



Terrance leans over the covered clothed person, pulling off the sheet to see a dead man remaining its eyes wide open in fear. “Hmph, wonder what the hell he saw that killed him?”



“Oh he was one of the men killed off by a past experiment: 1B.” Coby responds, eying the pale albino corpse.



“1B?” Terrance asks puzzled.



“Uh yeah: those where those five men that were first captured during Sanchez’s ownership of CAPPA. They were a test in which succeeded and where now showing off their ‘gifts’ as we like to call it here in the company.”



“Ahhh, they’re the celebrities the police made a huge spectacle of finding, I believe in the news.” Terrance states, fishing in his pockets for a blade of some type and finding none.



“Yup.”



“So you placed the pathogenic blood into this corpse for testing then?”



Coby nods and pulls out a blade, handing it to his brother, “Open it, look at the results of it.”



Terrance smirks, placing the blade below the right shoulder blade and penetrating it horizontally all across the chest, from one shoulder to the next. Then adjusting the sticky blade covered in thinning blood, he places the blade in the center of the chest and cuts vertically all the way down the corpse’s torso. Once done, he places the blade on the side of the table and with both hands grab either side of the corpse’s freshly cut body and rips it open, exposing the remaining ribs that was slowly decaying and turning a yellow color. The rest of the organs were either burned off from the pathogenic substance or caused the body to begin decaying from inside out. Coby hands him a pair of clear plastic tight fit gloves and Terrance quickly slips it on, eager to dig into the new body.



“While you’re searching around in there, I’m gonna bring ya the substance.” Coby states, walking over to a locked large metal cabinet. He swings it open after opening its lock to display rows upon rows of tubes and vials, shelved neatly above each other.



“Beautiful.” Terrance whispers, indulging at the deathly sight. He props his arms onto the open exposed corpse’s chest and digs his gloved hands into the corpse’s rotting intestines. “My, my, my. How long ago did you inject the medication into this body?”



“About forty eight hours ago. Do you like the results?” Coby asks, fishing in the cabinet to find the vial that his brother craved.



“Wow that fast! Indeed I do. It did quite the work on this body. She will have a slow death.” Terrance whispers manically, pulling his hands out of the rotting body and placing the white cloth over it to cover it. He slides the cabinet back, sealing the body away.



“Terry here it is. Be careful with it though. It took long and hard work to sustain that liquid and create it from the beginning.” Coby whispers, handing over the crimson vial over to his brother.



Terrance smiles and pulls off his gloves, welcoming the vial. “This is perfect. I can’t wait to expose it to her.”



“Well you’ll have to wait a while longer. Until Ana is completely won over in trust and her doubts of the young doctor grow, we can’t begin.”



“Seems you might have to work harder, Ana seemed pleased to see that doctor and they possibly made up. According to what the surveillance camera showed us.” Terrance murmurs.



“I know what to do to make her friendship with those doctors diminish. You’ll just watch and see. This is my expertise.” Coby states, locking the medical cabinet up and dumping the dirty blade into a trash bin.



“Well, I’m heading back to mess with those Boys, have some fun with them, they might get lonely without my company there.” Terrance hisses pleasantly, disposing of the used gloves and placing the precious vial into his inner pocket of his leather jacket.



Coby leads the way out, locking the laboratory closed behind him. Smirking at his brother, they wait for the elevator to arrive.



“Ring around the rosy, pockets full of potent, ashes, ashes, they all fall down.” Terrance sings softly, hearing a chuckle from his brother.



“Man, this is will be fun. No wonder dad didn’t give up on finding them. Let’s go find Miss Ana, I’m sure her heart is out looking for me.” Coby whispers as they both board the arriving elevator.



“That and she’s in for a time of her life.” Terrance whispers: the metal doors slamming shut and taking them to their destined floor.

~**~



**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 14 - Perverse Schemes



Summer eyes began to move rapidly beneath the heavy lids. Her body felt as if it had been crushed beneath a giant rock. Her body shivered from the coldness of the blast. She moaned in agony, feeling a warm cloth being pressed against her forehead. Her eyes fluttered gently, slowly opening and adjusting to the brightness. She squinted and saw Jamelet’s caring face above her. Summer allowed her body to relax with relief, previous events flooding before her eyes. Her brain continued to repeat the bright, icy, blue ball of energy emerging from Ana’s hands and knocking her unconscious.



“That little bitch blew a ball of ice at me!” Summer hissed in pain, noticing the cloth that Jamelet removed from her head held traces of blood. Summer winced as an antiseptic was applied. Summer noticed that Jamelet had not responded to her comment, so she smacked Jamelet’s hand away with disgust. It was always like Jamelet to protect Ana, no matter what the costs. Carefully, she pulled herself into a sitting position on the cot. Her head spun with fever, but she refused to be silenced. “Did you see what she did to me?!” Summer exclaimed once more.



“Yes, I saw,” Jamelet answered quietly.



“And yet you say nothing?”



“I don’t know what to say.”



“Don’t act like I’m a child, Jamelet!”



“Excuse me?” Jamelet asked.



“She ASSULTED me with her power! Damnit, Jam, how can you say nothing? That child has finally gone too far! She jumped off the deep side of CAPPA! We took her in under the worst of circumstances because her mother couldn’t stand the sight of her! Now we get thrown back in CAPPA because of her little love affair with that damn man? To think we thought she was being careful with Howie and now she’s screwing around with a man trying to kill us!” Summer fumed, holding her bruised and bleeding forehead.



“You know that Ana would never—”



“Don’t taunt me with Ana’s Little-Miss-Christian-Goody Routine! She’s a horrible wench with only thoughts about her own personal well being! The damn whore!”



“You’re going too far, Summer,” Jamelet hesitated.



“GOING TOO FAR?!” Summer laughed cruelly. “I’m going to tear that little wench to pieces when I see her again! How dare she even think to use her powers on a person that saved her life? I swear—”



“Summer, don’t you dare!” Jamelet gasped. She had expected Summer to be highly upset with Ana’s actions, but not to the point of threatening Ana’s life. Summer had never been one to disrespect Ana so much. For the most part, Summer had admired Ana’s grand sense of self and direction. Ana had been the fearless through every situation and Summer hoped to acquire the same fearlessness. Yet, the tight confinement was showing the worst of Summer’s behaviors. “How could you say you want to kill her?”



“Because I do! I’m going to tear Ana’s limbs off so she can’t possibly throw any more icy images at me. I’m going to let her scream for a while so she can know the pain that she put me through. Then I’m going to stab her with her own icicles… Her blood is going to drain onto this floor… I’m going to kill her, Jamelet! I promise you that much! She’s part of the evils of CAPPA. Never will she be safe in my presence. If she knows what’s good for her, she better kill me first. Because I will die trying to kill her and that will make everything worth it. I swear to God, Jamelet. I will kill her!”



“Summer, please, Ana isn’t what you think she is—”



“THE HELL SHE ISN’T!” Summer screamed, not noticing a small camera focusing on her features. Her eyes were dark with raw hatred. Her forehead pounded with pain. She hissed, slamming her fists onto the thin cot. “She’s a slimy little bitch who deserves all the paybacks in the world! I’m going to tear her apart! I’m going to kill her! I’m going to slaughter her and let her blood drain into the very tiles that created her evil! She will die in my hands, Jamelet, I promise you that!”



*~*~*



Ana allowed herself to collapse onto Coby’s leather couch, propping her feet up on the arm of the couch. She smiled ruefully as Coby ventured into his kitchen for drinks. Coby had given her yet another tour of CAPPA, only this time his brother had joined them. Ana found herself somewhat nervous whenever Terrence came about. Terrence seemed to eye Ana with some type of lustful pleasure, always poking at his brother with a certain gleam in his eyes. Ana shivered at the thought, quickly leaning up to grab the remote sitting on the glass coffee table.



She clicked on the TV, hoping for some interesting cable show, but instead a clear picture of Jamelet and Summer came onto the screen. Ana sat up, transfixed by the image. She noticed that Summer was screaming about something, yet Jamelet simply nodded. Ana bit down on her bottom lip, not understanding why Jamelet and Summer’s room would be programmed into Coby’s personal TV.



“Hey Baby, you wanted Pepsi right?” Coby called, sauntering into the living room with a devilish smile. He was about to offer Ana a glass of soda, but stopped when he noticed what she was glancing at. He groaned inwardly, knowing that Terrance had set this up. He had recorded earlier conversations of Jamelet and Summer and pieced them together to make Ana loathe the two women. Coby masked a face of surprise. “What’s the matter, Sweetheart?”



“Why are you watching Jamelet and Summer?” Ana pondered, glancing back at the man with suspicion. The video seemed to alarm her more than Coby had wanted. She sat up on the coach, allowing him to sit beside her.



“Oh, it’s a video feed so they can contact me when they need me. There’s a phone in there that directly wires to my apartment. I have people watching them at all hours to make sure that infection hasn’t set in and that they’re doing well,” Coby explained with a false assuring smile. “The bullet wounds alarmed me and I wanted to assure that they are in the best of care.”



“Oh,” Ana trailed, glancing back at the TV. “Can you give them a better room to stay in? That looks like something we used to be locked down in during our first years at CAPPA.”



“Of course, Ana, once I’m sure that they’re in perfect health I’ll put them in equally luscious rooms,” Coby promised.



“Good, they’d like that,” Ana answered, remembering how pissed Summer had been when Ana decided she would not stay at the boys’ lavish home. Ana had been a constant sore spot to Summer since CAPPA had reentered their lives. Ana sighed softly, noticing that Summer was now screaming at something. She chewed carefully on her bottom lip, glancing back to Coby with question. “What is she screaming about?”



“Let’s find out, Darling,” Coby answered, punching on the volume control.



Summer’s voice screamed out of the speakers. Ana winced at the anger and venomous language choking Summer’s usually sunny voice. Summer’s eyes turned dark as she pounded on the walls of the room. Ana could see the dark bruise forming on Summer’s bare stomach where Ana’s ice ball had hit. There was also a fairly deep laceration on Summer’s temple from the powerful blast that had blown her against the wall. Ana now felt guilty for hurting Summer, but something else caught her attention.



Summer began to scream again, “Because I do! I’m going to tear Ana’s limbs off so she can’t possibly throw any more icy images at me. I’m going to let her scream for a while so she can know the pain that she put me through. Then I’m going to stab her with her own icicles… Her blood is going to drain onto this floor… I’m going to kill her, Jamelet! I promise you that much! She’s part of the evils of CAPPA. Never will she be safe in my presence. If she knows what’s good for her, she better kill me first. Because I will die trying to kill her and that will make everything worth it. I swear to God, Jamelet. I will kill her if it’s the last thing that I do!”



Ana sat silent as Summer continued to explain the ways she would attack her. The mentioning of stabbing Ana with her own icicles caused Ana to wince with hate. It seemed as if the little bit of color that had masked Ana’s snowy complexion had completely drained away from her face. Bitter tears formed in the corners of her sapphire-emerald eyes. Her heart ached with betrayal. She never imagined that Summer and Jamelet would turn on her like the others. Ana balled her shaking hands into fists, staring down at the green carpet.



“Please, turn that off,” Ana whispered.



“Oh, Dear, Ana!” Coby hissed in surprise, immediately shutting off the TV. He quickly enveloped Ana into a tight hug. Ana sat still in his arms as Coby gently rocked her. He kissed her curls. “Oh, I am so sorry that you had to hear that! I can’t believe those women would turn on you because you want to see CAPPA restored to what it was made to be! I am so sorry that they hurt you… They should have never lied to you about your mother and now this… Oh, Darling, is there anything I can do?”



“No,” Ana whispered stiffly, wiping away the icy tears that had fallen against her soft cheeks. She pulled back, noticing that Coby was staring at her intently. He seemed to be waiting for something. She was about to tell him she wanted to lie down when he bent over her and pressed his lips against hers. Ana wanted to immediately break the kiss, but for some reason she allowed him to entangle his hands into her curls. He deepened the kiss as if his very life depending on it. Slowly, he began to lean her back onto the couch.



However, Ana quickly counteracted his move when Howie’s face flashed in the back of her mind. His soft smile radiated from her very core, causing her heart to skip beats. She imagined running her hands through his short, silky curls as he laughed. Her skin tingled when she realized that Howie was not the one kissing her. She pushed Coby back, allowing herself to jump off the couch. Her lips burned from Coby’s kiss. She placed her hands against her burning cheeks, noticing the look of hurt on Coby’s face.



“Oh, Coby! I am so sorry!” Ana whispered with utter shock. “It’s just… I love you like a big brother or a best friend. You know? I mean, you’re great and all… It’s just there’s this other guy. You know, Howie? The one I’ve been telling you about? He’s really sweet and it seemed like there was finally something there after all this time! We left each other on this odd…platform and I just don’t know what’s happening. I mean, you understand don’t you?”

“I understand perfectly,” Coby murmured, watching Ana quickly excuse herself to her suite of rooms. Coby collapsed back onto his couch and hollered into a leather pillow. Coby composed himself and quickly reached for his phone. He dialed Terrence’s number, ordering to have Howie tormented beyond belief, because Ana’s heart was only allowed to belong to Coby.

**~To Be Continued...~**

“Termination of Sanity”


**~Wrong Message~**

Jamelet gulps and settles back on the chair, shaking her head in disbelief. “Summer! I told you to be quiet! Look up!” She hisses, pointing to the camera in the corner of the ceiling, its small lens following their every move.

Summer squints and growls, a scowl crossing her snowy cheeks. “Good, then she’s watching. Even better.” She stands and crosses the room, directing her eyes to the miniature camera on the ceiling. “Ana, I know you heard that. I’m sure of it. And I don’t take back a single word.” She hisses, pronouncing very word slowly with pleasure.

Jamelet watches and sighs heavily, knowing the relationship with Summer and Ana have broken. It would be up to her to get them to reconcile or watch them lose a friendship. “Summer, stop it. You have every reason to be pissed off, but we all gotta work together. You getting mad at Ana isn’t solving anything but pushing her away. And she can be the key to getting out of this place.”

Summer faces the woman and frowns, slipping her fingers through the seams of her pockets. “You just don’t get it, do you? She’s a part of this whole new corporation! Why do you think Coby was so eager in finding her?! Think about it Jamelet! You feel it don’t you? You’re having the doubts just like me for the longest time but have been brushing it off cause you couldn’t face it!”

“Shut up! Ok, man, maybe, maybe I was thinking that she could have been the reason, but don’t try to make me hate her cause you have issues with her!” Jamelet growls out, no longer putting up with the childish behavior and getting blamed for things recently occurring.

Summer tenses and nibbles on her lips, staring in anger at the young woman in front of her. “Hmph. You just like the rest of them.” She hisses out, pointing her finger at her.

“What?! Like the rest of them? Screw you Summer! I was trying to help and keep us all together but you obviously have different plans from the rest of us.” Jamelet growls: clutching her fists to her side, stepping forward to the woman.

Summer murmurs and smirks, “Hmmm… if that’s the way you feel about it. Then fine. Be that way. I don’t have time for you or the rest of the people here. So you can all go to hell, cause I’m out of this.” And she walks towards the iron door in the room, peering out the slot that views the hallway, watching a shadow approach their room.

Jamelet narrows her eyes, examining Summer but remaining silent as she hops on the medical table quietly studying her small cuts down her arms. “I’m gonna get some sleep, we broke night worrying about all this.”

Summer doesn’t respond but continues to stare out the small slot the door provided, without a care in the world.
~*~
Terrance whistles joyfully, his footsteps echoing in the silent pathway towards the precinct. Entering the cold ventilated precinct, he smirks as his cell phone breaks the quiet peace. Grabbing his phone, he answers the incoming call, “Ello?”

“Good, Terry I got you. You won’t believe the news I have to tell ya!” His brother’s voice excitingly fills his ear.

“Ahh, really? Well what’s with the good news, I can tell.”

“Seems our little Ana ‘accidentally’ found the camera installed in my room. She was watching the television for her dear life as her own friends cried out for disaster upon her! Just like you said it will work, it did! Ana heard the two women arguing and it seems one is already against her. Now all we need is to break Sanchez’s daughter spirit about Ana and we’re home free!” Coby explains in delightful details.

“Excellent! This is exactly what we wanted! We’re almost there my dear brother! The doctor’s daughter will be easy to break.”

“Indeed it will be. Seems as I was watching the women’s conversation in the medical room: that Jamelet is already breaking down, confused and frustrated with all that is occurring. The fair haired woman, Summer, is already against Ana which is great!” Coby whispers with enthusiasm.

Terrance laughs, inhaling a deep breath as if it was for his life. “This is too good. Father would be proud of us. This is something not even he could achieve. Listen, I’ll call you back. I’m back at the station, is there anything else you want to tell me or is that it?”

Coby gulps hard and grabs a soft baseball, squeezing it in his hands tightly to release the stress that is building in him. He had watched his Ana leave the room quietly as she excused herself to head to her room where she is probably lying in torment over the sudden hatred of her so called friends.

“Coby…what is it?” Terrance whispers, after hearing silence from his brother for the past minutes.

“It’s, its nothing. Don’t worry about it.” His brother whispers out slowly.

“You sure? You don’t sound it. What’s the deal?” Terrance whispers out worriedly, fumbling with the key to open his office door.

“Can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, you know that you’re welcome to ask me anything. We are after all family.” He smirks, entering his office and dropping the keys on the desk top with a clash.

“Great, listen find out who Howie is of the men you have captured and torture him for me alright.”

Terrance breaks into a smile and chuckles softly, “And this wouldn’t have anything to do with that snow angel of yours now does it?”

“Huh?! What?!” Coby stutters nervously, exhaling softly as he plops into his lush black swivel chair. He twirls the chair on its wheels and stares out the exquisite large window that filtered out into the glorious horizon of the nearby beaches with its dramatic sunrise.

“Would it have to do with Ana that you what me to go after one of the men for a reason?”

“Maybe, I don’t see how that should matter though. We have an arrangement which we have to stick to if this is to work out. So just do me this favor for now. It’ll help me out along.” Coby breathes out, shutting his eyes and rubbing them wearily.

“Fine, fine whatever the story is though, you better tell me all about it. Cause I’m sure something is going on.”

“Yeah, I’ll, I’ll tell ya later then I guess. I’m tired. I’m gonna rest up. Talk to ya shortly then k?”

“Alright. Oh one more question though? What do you want me to do with this Howie? Any special thing in mind for him?” Terrance asks, stashing away a few files and locking his cabinet, placing the precious vial of the toxic blood into a small cooling metal ice box.

“Just make him scream.” Coby whispers slowly before ending the call.

Terrance smirks and places his mobile away, eying the cabinet. He locks it behind him and smiles, touching the cold cabinet with his hands. “Time to have some fun.” And he pulls out a switchblade, sliding it into his front black jean pocket before leaving the office to welcome the captured men.
~*~

Brian groans and sits up from his cot, rubbing his back painfully as the four men sleep soundlessly in their small cots. Standing up, he stretches and rubs his tired eyes. His ears perk up at an oncoming sound, the sounds of footsteps echoing down the dark hallway. Frigid, Brian gulps and listens intensely as the footsteps stop in front of the jail cell. Brian squints at the figure of the man in front of the cell as the poor lighting fail to help him conceive who it could be.

A sharp voice cuts at him as the man speaks: his grey eyes shone a frightful steel cold at Brian, “I’m detective Williams. Terrance for short. Are you Howie by any chance?”

Brian gulps and scrolls his eyes quickly over to his sleeping friend on the cot, curled up tightly in a quiet slumber. His eyes avert back to Terrance and smiles, “Uh, well it depends on why you need to know?”

Terrance sighs, annoyed at the antics the man was playing with him, he knew that he couldn’t be Howie, for his eyes had averted over to the four men lying on the cots. That much he did know and Terrance eyes the four men sleeping. He smiles, knowing if Ana was to fall for a guy: the fair haired man slumbering away would be a prime choice. Even in his sleep, the man seemed good looking and could be the one holding his brother’s angel heart.

“Never mind. You know the reason you’re here?” Terrance decided to ask. He needed to get on the stranger’s good side if he was to get to this Howie that was sleeping away.

Brian frowns, shaking his sandy head no.

“Well I’m sure you heard of CAPPA right?” Terrance whispers out, enjoying the horrid look that cross the man’s face as he clutches his fists to his side and gulps.

“Maybe. Why?” Brian responded.

Terrance smirks, knowing the man was harder to get to than he thought. “Just mentioning it cause its one of the reasons you’re here now.”

“Yeah well, I’m assuming you’re here to tell me that you’re taking us to CAPPA or make us suffer.” Brian hisses, his breath wavering out.

“Oh the contrary, I’m only gonna need one of you. Anyways, how are you enjoying this cell, is it to your comfort?” He hisses with sarcasm.

“One of us huh? Well that’s not gonna happen. We’re a unit, if you take one of us, you need to take all of us. And the comfort isn’t the five star hotel I’m used to.” Brian snaps back at him.

“Oh really now? And why is that?” Terrance whispers with interest, leaning on the cold black bars, looking in.

“Because that’s the way it is. Our powers are better when we’re together.”

Terrance does a cocky smile and chuckles softly to himself. “So what are you telling me, that if I’m here to take one of you, it would be better to take all of
you?”

“Uh, uh yeah.” Brian whispers shakily, noting Kevin waking up.

Kevin rushes over to the bars and hisses at Terrance, desperately trying to grab hold of Terrance’s collar. Terrance steps back and smirks at the man, eying him carefully. “Well did you hear the good news my boy, its seems that man hear has advised that I should take all of you on my little excursion. You might know the area, its called CAPPA.”

At this Kevin gasps, his emerald eyes darken in hatred as he inches back nervously, paling at the sickly thought.

“Hmmm…Seems you do know that area then huh?” Coby teases, eying the tall raven haired man with interest. “Oh Howie its ok, I’m sure the place there will seem just like home to you.”

For a moment, Kevin was caught off guard as confusion flooded his eyes.

Already Terrance knew this man could not be the Howie that his brother wanted tortured.

Kevin whispers quietly, “Home huh?” His eyes settle calmly as an idea settled into his thoughts.

“Yes. Well can I bring you any food? I’m sure you’re all hungry by now?”

Brian nibbles on his lip and sighs, nodding his head, “Yeah, food would be nice.”

“Great, I’ll make sure to send out the best food there is around this town just for you all.” Terrance whispers happily, disappearing into the hallway, his ears perked for any new data as he stops at the end of the dark lit hallway to hear the men converse.

“Ok, well that was weird.” Brian whispers, eying his older cousin.

Kevin smirks and eyes him, “What exactly did you tell him that’s he’s excited about?”

“He wanted to know who Howie was.” Brian whispers, sighing: ranking his fingers through his sandy hair.

“Why Howie?” Kevin raises his dark eyebrows, curiosity settling in.

Brian shrugs his shoulders, “Don’t know, but that man Terrance, works for CAPPA and plans on taking him there. But I made it clear that if Howie goes, we all go.”

“Thanks a lot!” Nick screeches vehemently, suddenly waking up from his cot at the mere mention of CAPPA.

“Don’t get mad with me, I was protecting Howie. I need to make sure we’re together.” Brian whispers with concern evident in his voice.

“I think Howie can protect himself.” Howie whispers annoyed at the conversation they were having of him. His soft dark eyes open to see the three men talking about him. ‘Why does Terrance want me?’ He thinks to himself, horrid ideas of pure torture fill his mind. “Oh God. What if this guy is like Cabal and he tortures us one by one?!”

A.J. snaps opens his eyes and gasps, “D shut up! Don’t say that! I can’t go through this again.”

“Maybe I should just go with him, it could be Ana! What if she needs me?” Howie whispers out softly.

Kevin sighs and places his arm around his friend, “Howie, listen to me. I think Brian is right on this. If we stick together, we can fight this as a group.”

Howie nods his head, sitting up in his cot as Kevin goes to his own cot, staring up at the blank ceiling. All heads turn to see Terrance come back, standing in front of their cell.

“Uh hey guys I just wanted to take some food orders for all of you. I want to make sure you get eat the best.” Terrance smirks, pulling out a notepad with a small ink pen.

“Oh we’ll all eat the same thing.” Nick whispers, curiously eyeing Terrance.

Terrance eyes Nick and nods his head, noting this has to be the man, seems like the guy that Ana would fall head over heels with. “Really, ok then. So that will be what?”

A.J. growls softly and eyes him, “Five orders of shrimp with plain white rice. Nothing else. I doubt any of us can eat anything else.”

Nick shrugs his shoulders and smirks, “Well actually I can, but fine.”

Terrance smirks and jots down Nick’s description, pretending to take down the men’s orders. “Ok, well great. Thanks. I’ll make sure you all eat shortly, I know the delivering man, you should get your food in a few.” And with that whisks off, bounding down the hallway with a large grin on his face.

Kevin eyes Nick and peers his head on the side of their cell to see Terrance go up a flight of stairs and disappear from their view. “Nick.” He whispers. “I think he was looking at you too much. I say we keep a sharp outlook over that Terrance guy and watch Nick. If he has plans on getting you first for some form of sick torture, I rather let him kill me first before he attempts that.”

Nick smiles a bit, “You would do that for me?”

Kevin eyes his ‘little brother’ and nods his head. “Of course. In a second. You know that. We’ve all been through hell and back. I’m not letting anyone harm any of you unless they kill me first.”

“Watch those words, the people here actually won’t hesitate with the killing.” A.J. whispers, pulling on a seam of his jeans.

“Yeah, Yeah I know.” Howie whispers, sighing and stands up to stretch. “So where are we going then?”

“You already know…back to hell.” Kevin murmurs, sighing deeply as they all stare at the dark bars that held them imprisoned from reality.
~*~

The taxi screeches to a halt at the edge of the block as Kimberly hands the driver a small wad of money. “Thanks.” She whispers, sliding out the car with Rose right behind her.

“So this is the place?” Rose murmurs with uncertainty.

“Yup. Jamelet and Summer moved down here, seems Summer had the connections to this house so they should be here.” Kimberly whispers ecstatically, walking down the clean lawn.

“Uh ok, but the lights are out, its like no one is home.” Rose whispers as they inch closer to the house, the morning sun light finally making its appearance on the shoreline.

Kimberly whistles and shakes her head in wonder, “Wow, look at this place, its sweet! They even have their own beach!” She squeals out, racing up the porch steps to ring the bell.

Rose smiles and giggles, “It’ll be nice to see them all again. My mom will kill me but I’m sure it’ll be worth it. Wonder if they still talk to the guys?”

“I’m sure they do.” Kimberly whispers, distractingly pulling the tiny curtains hung on the porch window. Peering into the window, she scans the inside of the house: the living room which was in complete disarray reflects that something had gone terribly wrong. Furniture and clothes were flung around as if whoever lived here, raced out of the house immediately in fear. Kimberly’s heart races as she grips her book bag tightly, the knuckles turning white.

“Kim, Kim what did you see?” Rose asks, pushing aside her friend to peer into the window. Gasping, she drops her small back pack on the porch floor. “Oh, oh God. This is a bad idea, we shouldn’t be here Kim.”

Kimberly gazes her dark coffee eyes on her friend and smirks, “Look, we’re here and I’m not going back home till I see the girls. I’m sure they’re probably and stuff. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

Suddenly a voice cuts across the lawn, “Hey, Hey you two! What are you doing over there? Get out of there before I call the police!”

The two young women turn around to see a tall six feet two inches broad shoulder man, with fair skin and raven hair, running up to them. His dark emerald eyes bore into them angrily as he reaches the porch and stares down at them. “What are you two doing here? Didn’t you hear what I said?”

Kimberly growls and steps in front of Rose protecting the woman behind her. “What’s your problem? We have friends that leave here if it’s any of your business and we wanted to surprise them.”

“Friends? Who?” The man asks, his dark brows furrow.

Rose sucks her teeth, rolling her sapphire orbs at him, “The three women that live here. You don’t know them anyway, why are you harassing us?”

Galen exhales and shakes his head, “Please don’t tell me you’re the other girls mentioned from CAPPA.”

“CAPPA? Huh? NO! That’s gone, it’s destroyed.” Kimberly cries out, the fear clinging to her very bones.

“I’m Galen by the way. I used to work for CAPPA, the ladies aren’t in the house, they ran away for safety. CAPPA is being reconstructed miles down this road. I don’t know why you’re here. This is too dangerous for you all to around here.”

“CAPPA’s here?” Rose squeaks out, her hands grip around her waist.

“Yeah, I thought you would have known. Its been the news.” Galen whispers watching the two women curiously.

“We know: that’s why we came down here. We didn’t want to believe it, but its true now isn’t it?” Kimberly whispers, her dark brown locks waver in the warm breeze.

“Unfortunately. Listen you two shouldn’t be around here. Maybe you two could come with us.”

“Us?” Kimberly whispers.

“Yeah, Natalie and I. We’ll care for you girls, till we hear the others.”

“Natalie’s here?!” Both women shout in joy.

“Uh yeah, you know her?” He whispers softly.

“Duh!! She was with us during the great fall of CAPPA. This is great, we haven’t seen her since forever.” Rose smiles, peering over Kimberly’s shoulder.

“Ok, well cool. Well Natalie’s staying a nearby apartment, I’m heading back to check up on her. Glad to meet ya. And you girls are?”

Kimberly laughs nervously and extends her hand out, “Sorry that’s right, we didn’t introduce ourselves. I’m Kimberly and the blonde chick is Rose.” Now that she took a closer look at the man, he was extremely attractive and she gulped down her nerves so she wouldn’t jump on the beautiful creature.

Galen smiles and shakes her hand. “Well good morning, sorry about scaring ya, I was just passing by here for any clues and spotted ya. I thought you girls were fans of Backstreet and was going to harasses them.”

Rose blushes and whispers out, “Uh we are fans, but the girls live here right? What does that have to do with the Boys?”

“Oh they were all hanging out here not that long ago.” Galen responds, leading the two women down the porch stairs towards his black Jaguar parked next to a curb.

“Oh, they were visiting then?” Rose whispers amble behind Kimberly.

“Yeah, though I think like the women, they’re involved in this nasty mess again.” Galen explains, opening the back seat doors for the girls to get board.

Rose glances at Kimberly and clears her throat, “Uh, I don’t think we should get in the car.”

“Huh, why not?” Galen whispers, opening his door, sliding into his seat.

“Well don’t know you like that, how do we know you ain’t working with CAPPA themselves?” Kimberly questions him, placing a hand on her hip.

Galen nods his head, smiling, “You have a good head on your shoulders, I’ll call Natalie and you can hear it from her, I’m her boyfriend so you can take her word on it.”

“Cool, can’t wait to hear Naty again!” Rose whispers, her eyes twinkling happily.

“Yeah, it’ll be nice to hear from her again. You better hope your story matches with hers. Or you’ll be facing some major trouble with us.” Kimberly whispers.

Galen laughs and hands his cell phone to her so she can talk to Natalie herself.

“I’m sure it’ll match up. You seem like a decent guy. Natalie doesn’t date just any guy.” Rose smirks as Kimberly begins to talk to the phone to Natalie.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 16 ~ Assertive Dominance


Terrence rested in his leather chair, clicking on the speakerphone. He touched a number to directly connect him with Coby’s suite of rooms connected to CAPPA. He gazed at his description and smiled to himself. He was the devil in human flesh. He was so clever and intelligent in his own mind. The boys thought that they would receive some sort of meal, Terrence laughed at the idea. He refused to send the boys down food, knowing that in a few moments he would be indulged in torturing a man that complicated his twin’s plans. He heard the gentle click of the line being changed. He heard his brother voice a greeting and immediately began to speak. “Do you know the description of Snow Angel’s Love God?”



“Why must you insist that it concerns Ana?” Coby complained.



“Brother, please, I know you better than you think. Any sort of command that you give now has some sort of effect on your Snow Angel. Don’t try to kid me. Admit it – Snow Angel has a thing for Howie and you want him disposed of. I mean honestly, I love to torture, but why not make it easier on yourself? Enslave the girl and take her chastity the easy way. For Heaven’s sake, Coby, spreading a girl’s legs isn’t like breaking steel. I’m sure once your hands were in the right zone that she’d melt like butter—”



“I want her to love me,” Coby interrupted angrily. “And, I can’t very well have her love me with that twit of a man in the way!”



“Oh, it’s love you desire,” Terrence laughed.



“Do you have him pinned out of the group or not?” Coby snarled, refusing to comment to Terrence’s hatred.



“I’m pretty sure.”



“I want you to be definite.”



“Well, I think I might have pinpointed him. Seems like the type that a Snow Angel might fall for. You know, typical tall blonde with blue eyes… He has tattoos of a shark and a tribal band of sorts on his arms, plus others that I don’t even want to get into detail over. But, all in all, twin brother, he’s the over-stimulated sex-god type that most girls pine away for.”



“Ana would never settle for a over-sexed-stripper-type—”



“Do you know what he looks like?”



Coby hesitated, “I never took the time to find out.”



Terrence groaned, “Damnit, Coby!”



“Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be definite on his description.”



“I’ll give you ten before I just shoot them all.”



*~*~*



Ana lay on the king-sized bed Coby had provided in her new suite of rooms. She stared listlessly at the ceiling, completely immobile. Her long honeysuckle curls fell off the edge of the bed, sweeping against the floor. She crossed her hands over her chest, feeling her heart beat beneath her palms. Her heart ached at what Summer had said. She couldn’t imagine such hatred in a person that Ana had once considered a friend. To think that woman wanted her dead? Ana couldn’t identify what she had done wrong, but she knew that she would not cry over it. Coby was taking good care of them and they were safe. Why must they hate her? Because she had developed a friendship with the one person that could change CAPPA? Because she had managed to stay safe through the siege at the hotel? Because she had used her powers against them? Or because she was actually considering staying with CAPPA?



Ana’s feelings began to turn toward anger, as there was a soft knock on the door. She said nothing as the white door was opened and Coby peeked his head in. She said nothing as he seated himself down on the side of her bed. She let her head hang partway off the bed, just averting her eyes to gaze at him. Coby offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry that you saw that. I was unaware that they felt so strongly… I never meant for you to get hurt.”



“You didn’t do the hurting, Coby,” Ana answered with a dissatisfied smile. She curled her body and rolled forward. She landed perfectly on the carpet, immediately shuffling toward the bay window. She perched herself on the seat at the window, staring out at the beautiful sunset.



“And I also wanted to apologize about the kiss,” Coby whispered, sitting himself down next to her. He took a moment to gaze at her profile. She sat with perfect posture, her back straightened and her bosom slightly projected. Her long curls fell in neat piles around her shoulders, catching the dimming rays of sun. Her skin was the color of soft, creamy vanilla from the strength of her gift. Her soft sapphire-emerald eyes were darker than before, because she now held a newfound cynicism for the world. Coby wanted to reach out and kiss her again, but faltered. He bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, not understanding why one woman could drive him so insane. “I shouldn’t have tried that with my good friend.”



“Don’t worry about it,” Ana stated quickly, shielding her face while she blushed. The kiss had definitely surprised her more than she anticipated. She understood that she was overly friendly with men, but that was her personality. She and Coby had grown up together. She had thought he understood they were just friends. Coby had been remarkable to her, but he wasn’t a love interest. He was simply a big brother that protected her when her sanity began to wear from the cages of CAPPA.



“I won’t, because we’re just…brother and sister,” Coby answered, swallowing hard to keep himself from spitting the last words.



“Exactly,” Ana enthused. She finally glanced toward him with a lazy smile. His returned smile was reassuring and kindly, but something in his eyes caused her to falter. His eyes had turned a dark steel color, similar to his twin brother’s eyes. Ana stared deep into his eyes, finding they contained a hidden sense of lust, vengeance, hunger, and craving. These emotions were something Ana was not used to seeing in Coby. She leaned backward against the wall, giving her space from Coby.



“So, since I’m your…big brother…can you tell me about the man that stole your heart?” Coby asked, catching the hesitance in Ana’s behavior.



“He didn’t steal my heart exactly,” Ana answered finally, unable to hide her silly smile. She decided to let the look fall through her thoughts. It didn’t seem too important to her, because she might have been reading into it. Coby understood that Ana only wanted to be friends.



“Oh really?”



“I… I pretty much gave it to him.”



“Oh, I see. And, let me guess what this man looks like. I mean, he must be something special for my Ana to become smitten. Not just an ordinary man, correct? I imagine a tall man…dark blue eyes…blonde hair…has to have some tattoos… One of those Greek-sex-gods, correct?”



Ana could only think of Nick, which made her crinkle her nose in distaste. Coby laughed, slapping his hands sharply on his legs. Ana rolled her eyes, not really understanding why Coby cared so much. “That sounds like his friend… And, God no, that’s a little too over-stimulating for me, Coby! You must know me better than that. It’d be like dated Barbie’s Ken or something!”



“I suppose… So, will you tell me what type of man has stolen your heart? So I might put a watch out on this man… Just to make sure that he’s the right type for my Ana?” Coby pressed, craving the information.



“He’s a typical guy, Coby. You’d think that fame would change someone, but he’s heart is just made of gold. And, his outward appearance is normal. You know – brown hair, brown eyes, a great body…” Ana’s lips curved into a gentle smile, recalling his features. “He’s like an inch shorter than me, but he’s so cute. His brown hair curls against his forehead, he used to have it long, but now that it’s cut… Gosh! No tattoos either. He’s like…natural, just all natural goodness. You know? Just a real sweetheart, too,” Ana described wistfully, holding a hand against her heart.



“A real sweetheart, huh?” Coby grunted, refuting the urge to vomit.



“Yes,” Ana answered, but she suddenly crinkled her nose in distaste. “We didn’t exactly part on the best terms, though. I was so angry at him for…for not telling me some things. Yet, I guess he was trying to protect me or something like that. I should have given him the benefit of the doubt. I wish I hadn’t been so cold toward him.”



“Cold?” Coby asked, actually smirking at the ironic nature of her statement.



“Yeah, our parting wasn’t exactly romantic.”



“Romantic? You mean you’ve had romantic encounters with him?” Coby gulped, struggling to maintain a level head. He felt his heart pound against his ribcage in disgust and anger. He felt betrayed as he looked upon Ana’s angelic face. He wanted to smother her at that moment. If he couldn’t have her, he would be damned if Howie could have her.



“Not real romantic encounters… I mean, just a couple kisses. Nothing too serious, you know?” Ana answered, tracing circles on the silky cushion she sat upon. She suddenly wished that Howie were at her side. She wanted to speak with him. She wanted to forgive him and move on. Move toward something tangible between the two. “I just wish I could see him again and let him know that I’m okay.”



“Yes, you might actually get that request sooner than you think,” Coby mumbled, standing up.



“Excuse me?” Ana replied, puzzled.



“Oh, nothing,” Coby quickly answered, smoothing out his tan slacks. He leaned down and pressed a kiss upon Ana’s cool forehead. “I have some things to do, so excuse me.” Coby hurried out of her room without pausing. He waited till he was back in his room to dial his brother’s phone. When Terrence picked up, Coby spoke quickly, “He’s about an inch shorter than Ana, brown hair, brown eyes, no tattoos. Get him and get him fast. Make him scream, Terrence, make him scream.”



“Okay! Damn, Coby. You’re quite steamed. You know, the boys are quite protective of one another.”



“I don’t give a rat’s ass. Just get the stuff done that I told you to get done. Since when did you care about such formalities? Torture Howie, and then bring all five to CAPPA for a little entertainment. And then I’ll take my turn of fun.”

*~*~*



Terrence skipped down the steps with utter joy. He tapped his hand against the long switchblade that had settled into his back pocket. His gun holster tapped against his hip as he walked down the long hallway. He was going to enjoy this torture session. He would hurt this man in the name of his brother. Hopefully, once this man was out of the way, Coby would make his peace with Ana, do the deed, and thrown her amongst the tattered ruins. Terrence could only hope as he walked toward the holding cell. Immediately, all the boys jumped upward upon hearing his footsteps. “I need to speak with Howie.”



“What for?” Kevin growled.



“Sit the Hell down,” Terrence snarled.



“What do you need?” Brian protested.



“I need to speak with Howie about Ana. It seems that she was involved in some type of accident. She’s in some serious condition. She keeps calling out for him. I was under strict orders to transport Howie to the facility immediately. She desperately needs to speak to him. She keeps whispering that she loves him and needs to see him. We’re only trying to grant her last request,” Terrence explained, trying to express some kind of sympathy in his cold eyes.



Howie was silent, just staring at Terrence. Somehow, he didn’t know if he could believe the man. He paused for the longest time, weighing his decisions. If Ana was really hurt – he would most definitely rush to her side. Yet, if he were bluffing – Howie would kill the man for even suggesting harm against Ana. Howie bit down hard on his lip, refusing to announce himself. He would wait for more information. The man would give away his true motives in time.



“Come now, gentlemen. Surely you would want to carry out Ana’s final request,” Terrence ensued.



“How… How was she hurt?” AJ questioned.



“She was traveling here to bail you out, but someone side-swiped her car. It tumbled quite roughly, wrapping around a telephone pole. Took hours to pry her away from the wreckage. The doctors assure me that she will not make it much longer. Seems she sustained massive wounds. As I said before, she’s dangerously hurt. So, please, do not make her final hours of life worthless. Don’t be stupid, please. She loves Howie and she needs to speak with him immediately.”



“Were others in the car with her?” Nick asked.



“Two women.”



“Oh God! Howie! That’s Jamelet and Summer!” Nick whispered loudly, smacking Howie heavily on the back to gain Howie’s attention. Howie stumbled forward in utter surprise, knowing that he was in serious trouble. Within several seconds, Terrence leapt into the cage and snatched Howie. He snapped handcuffs tightly onto Howie’s wrists and threw him out of the cell. Howie groaned as he fell sharply into the brick wall. Everything happened so quickly that no one had time to react.



“Is Ana okay?” Howie asked as Terrence pulled him to his feet roughly.



“Are you that much of a twit?”



“Answer me.”



“Ana’s quite fine in the hands of my brother,” Terrence answered with a gleeful smile, throwing Howie into an isolated room. Howie stumbled against the thick metal wall as Terrence seated himself at the table. Terrence pulled out several weapons, laying them upon the table. “I think you’d be quite proud of Ana’s accomplishments in the world. She’s having sex with one of the most powerful men in the world. After all, my brother owns CAPPA. He’s taking great care of her. Treats her like the Goddess of Love that she is… She’s quite content in her place. She loves to be dominated by a worthy man. And, I’m afraid that my brother has her screaming his name every hour of the night that she might not remember you. So, allow me to take care of your needs personally.”



*~*~*



Coby was grasping at loose ends as the hour passed. Ana hadn’t appeared from her room to speak with him. Coby felt as if he were loosing Ana as each minute passed. He wanted to assure that Howie had been disciplined, but he had heard nothing from his brother. He was on the verge of insanity. He decided to take matters into his own hands. He wanted to regain some kind of control. He had placed Jamelet and Summer in separate rooms, deciding to enjoy some quality time with Jamelet. He would enjoy the fruits of his labor. He wanted some kind of revenge and until he received Howie in his hands – Jamelet would have to do.



“What the Hell are you doing?” Jamelet screeched, struggling beneath the belts. The doctors had seized her out of the room and bound her to a fresh metal table. Several belts were wrapped around her waist, wrists, chest, forehead, and legs. She was disgusted as Coby offered a sweet smile. “Where’s Ana?!”



“That’s exactly who I want to talk about!” Coby answered, pulling up a stool. He perched himself by Jamelet’s head, running his hands through her silky brown curls. She tried to protest, but to no avail. Coby’s eyes glazed over at the mere thought of Ana’s soft body. “I mean, I’ve been trying to understand why she would be so interested in some loser that holds no power. I have everything. I can give her the world. What can this Howie do for her? Nothing. Not a damn thing!”



“Howie?” Jamelet whispered in confusion.



“Don’t worry, I’m having him taken care of. The asshole will not be allowed to have Ana’s heart. I will own her heart! Damnit, I will!” Coby roared, standing up. His hands were curled into tight fists as he stared down at Jamelet. He glared as if he were ready to erase the entire world. “Why does she like him so? What the Hell does he have? Why does she want to involve herself with some petty twit?”



“Do you really want to know why?” Jamelet whispered darkly.



“Tell me,” Coby ordered.



“Because, Ana would rather love a man who cares for her entirely instead of man who just wants to tie her down and make her into some pet-like slave,” Jamelet hissed, spitting into Coby’s face.



Without hesitation, Coby brought his hand swiftly against Jamelet’s cheek. The slap echoed against the walls, causing tears to form in the corners of her eyes. Coby cursed under his breath, walking toward a small tray filled with various medical tools. He picked up a large syringe, walking back toward Jamelet with fever. “I have just the thing for a smart mouth like yours.”



“What is that?” Jamelet asked, eyeing the large syringe. The barrel contained a small amount of bright red liquid. Jamelet felt her heart flutter with nervousness. She took a nervous breath as Coby held the syringe out for her to view.



“You know that so called rare blood disease that your older sister died from?” Coby asked, priming the needle. He smiled toward Jamelet. “That blood disease was none existent. Never happened. Your sister died for the price of CAPPA, just like Terrence was sent away for the price of CAPPA. Your sister wanted to rebel, so your father had her killed. Hurts, doesn’t it? Well, I was so fascinated by the story that I had the scientists under my power develop a prototype. Seems that it can be created! So, I decided that you and Summer would be my tests. You doctors who think that the world should bow down and kiss your feet no matter what destruction you caused. You doctors that tortured Ana and myself night and day for your own profit. You doctors who find our misery enjoyable. You doctors who exploited Ana as if she were some animal. Damn you all for what you done.”



“I had nothing to do with that!” Jamelet shouted.



“Bullshit!” Coby roared, advancing toward Jamelet with fever. “You worked with Ana every day. You treated her as if she were a slave. You tell me that I’m going to chain her to the wall, but I am giving her freedom! I’m giving her the freedom to test the gifts that God gave her freely. And, I’m giving her that gift by destroying everyone who hurt us in the beginning. I’m going to destroy every damn doctor that ever walked the halls of CAPPA. Then, I’m going to market this pathogenic blood to the hostile countries of the world for a tidy profit and double the price on the antiviral blood. So, I can give Ana the freedom that she deserves!”



Coby raised his arm to jam the needle deep into Jamelet’s vein, but a burning cold erupted into his hands. He glanced down in time to see the entire vial freeze and burst into tiny icicles. Coby cursed as the chunks of frozen glass and blood fell to the ground and shattered further. He turned around to see Ana standing at the doorway. Her sapphire-emerald eyes were dark with hatred. She raised her hands toward him in a threatening manner. Coby howled in pain, holding his frostbitten hand. “THAT WAS FOOLISH!”



“Fuck you! You… You asshole! To think I called you my brother! What the Hell are you thinking? That woman gave me the best years of my life! She didn’t do anything to hurt me. She made my life livable in that asylum. If anything, your father should be condemned! Oh… I forgot… I helped killed him. Now, get the Hell away from her now, before I send another ice-ball into your ass!” Ana screamed, thrusting another thick ball of ice in his direction.



Without hesitation, Coby held up his hand to generate a force field. The ice-ball shattered against the field, causing Coby to simply laugh. He held his hands up toward Ana. “Sweetheart, don’t play this game. You won’t win against me. I have all the powers combined into one. And, you’re quite confused. Let’s just go get you to bed and we’ll talk in the morning.”



“No!”



“C’mon, Baby.”



“DON’T CALL ME BABY!” Ana hissed, motioning toward the floor. A long sheet of ice formed against the tiles and under Coby’s feet. He went flying into the air and landed squarely on his back. The air was forced quickly out of his lungs as the ice dissipated. Ana grinned with triumph.



“Why are you trying to hurt me, Love?” Coby wheezed, scrambling back onto his feet.



“What the Hell is wrong with you? Don’t you understand? I don’t love you! I never have loved you. And I never will love you! I can’t love a man with no heart! You don’t care about me! I wanted to call you my brother, but I can’t even do that much! You’re just like your father! You want me to be some trophy for a perverted collection!” Ana hissed, walking toward him with her hands glowing an icy blue.



“I’M NOT MY FATHER!”



“AND I DON’T LOVE YOU!” Ana declared loudly, lunging toward him. Ana had prepared to deliver a lethal blow of frostbite to his insides, but Coby anticipated it all too well. As Ana lunged, Coby grabbed her sharply by the wrists and lit his body aflame. Ana howled in pain as the searing flames licked at her delicate skin. The smell of burned flesh clung to the air particles, causing Jamelet’s stomach to church. Ana immediately began struggling to get out of his grasp as the pain increased, but Coby held tighter and burned brighter. Ana screamed louder as the sensations of agony ripped down her spinal cord and spilled into her brain.



“YOU WILL LOVE ME IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO!” Coby threatened, dragging her forward with his body still blazing.



Ana shrieked in pain, writhing to get free of Coby’s fiery grasp. The pain pulsated in her body, calling out for darkness. She could hear Jamelet screaming her name, but it was useless. In a final effort, Ana released another large chunk of ice at Coby. Surprisingly, the ice connected with his chest, releasing his grip from her. He landed hard against the far wall as Ana crashed to the floor. She was dazed as she lay upon the floor, staring at her blackened and painful hands. Ana felt woozy as she concentrated on the oozing mixture of blood and plasma.



“ANA! RUN!” Jamelet shrieked.



“Huh?” Ana whispered, tearing her attention away from her pained hands. Coby was staggering to regain his balance. Ana jerked forward and forgot about her hands. Survival was on her mind as she pushed herself upward, rushing toward the door. She ran as fast as she could, but a shearing force gripped her around her waist and threw her backward. Before she could comprehend the situation, the force pulled her upward and applied tight pressure. It felt as if her insides were being crushed. She screamed in agony as the force brought her to face Coby.



“Didn’t you know that I also held powers of telekinesis?” Coby cooed. He held a menacing smile upon his face, concentrating on her body. He reached forward to caress her face. Ana jerked her head away, struggling, but the force only tightened. Coby pulled her closer to him, placing a fresh kiss on her lips. Ana hissed, glaring at him. Coby didn’t seem to care as he walked up the stairs with the force still binding her. He paused for a moment and eyed her wounded hands. He clicked his tongue. “I didn’t have to hurt you, but you wouldn’t behave. I’ll have Terrence see to the wounds when he arrives with a present.”



“Go to Hell!”



“You told me that already.”



“What did I ever see in you?”



“You will see the same thing I do. When you look into my eyes, you will see your love for me. I wish we didn’t have to do it this way, Ana. I love you more than life itself and I would rather die than see you with that other man. It’s like this, Ana, if I can’t have you, then no one can have you.”



“You’re sick!” Ana wheezed as they reached her room.



Coby seemed to ignore the statement as he brought her into the room. He allowed the force to tie her down to the soft bed. He motioned toward the windows with his hands, melting them into a hard rock. He then walked out of the room and slammed the door, also melting it into hardened rock. Ana rushed forward when the pressure was released from her. She pounded on the door, but to no avail. Coby had sealed her in the room. She had no hopes of escaping. Ana collapsed to the floor to hear Coby calling to her, “No one is going to take you away from me, even if I have to keep you locked away. So, you will love me and you have no choice in the matter.”

**~To Be Continued...~**

“Termination of Sanity”

**~Relapsing In Control~**

Brian slumps back on his cot infuriated with Terrence’s recent actions: Taking Howie out for simple torture.

Kevin slams his fist on the wall, his eyes downcast at the failure he and the others did in protecting their ‘brother’ and band mate. “Dammit! You know what you just did Nick?!” He hisses at the young blonde man reeling back from Kevin’s wrath.

Nick gulps and nods his head, “I said I was sorry. It slipped out.”

“Maybe I should let you go instead Howie for that. You couldn’t keep your hands to yourself now could ya? You know that man was looking for Howie!” Kevin rasps out, losing control in his emotions.

“Yo, Kev. Chill, he said he was sorry. It was stupid yeah, but what can we do? At least Howie got the hell out of here. We should be so lucky.” A.J. whispers out, receiving glares from the two older men in the cell.

“Yeah, like getting tortured is much better than this!” Brian hisses out sarcastically, rolling his sapphire orbs towards the ceiling.

“Alright. Don’t go down my back, I’m just screwed as the rest of ya, don’t be getting on me.” A.J. shouts back, his hands gripping the hems of his worn jeans.

Kevin sighs, rubbing his tired eyelids, “You’re right. What was I thinking? I’m just afraid of what’s gonna happen to Howie.”

“You think he got sent back to that new CAPPA?” Brian meekly whispers, dreading the name as it lingers in the dry atmosphere. He could hear the inhale deeply at the mention of the name.

“Maybe, if not then I’m sure he’ll be heading there shortly.” Kevin whispers.

“But didn’t you hear what Terrence said, Ana was seriously wounded, she’s dying guys! And she was asking for Howie!” Nick shouts out nervously, his eyes scurrying the dirty cement ground inside their cell.

“Nick, that was a lie.” A.J. whispers with dread.

“What, no. Why would that man lie about Ana? He knows about her, so obviously there is something up with her.”

“Nick.” Kevin whispers softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, “He was saying that, to find out who Howie was. He knows where Ana is and she isn’t at a hospital. She’s in CAPPA along with Summer and Jamelet.”

“How do you know that?” Nick asks quizzically, not wanting to believe the cryptic message.

A.J. rolls his eyes and sighs, “Cause Nick that’s what this: all of this since the beginning has to do with. If it wasn’t CAPPA, we would still be living normal lives. Or whatever normal there is to this.”

Brian sighs and closes his eyes, fearing that something dreadful could have occurred with their friend.

A.J. bellows out a profanity as he shakes his head slowly, “God I can’t take this sh…” But stops mid-sentence when Kevin races over the front of the cell to see a small troop of black masked soldiers armed with loaded magnums and rifles. The group of seven armed soldiers raises their loaded arsenal at the four men in the cell. The leader of the group steps out in the center towards the locked cell. Peering in, the mask man unlocks the cell without ever saying a word and points to all the four quivering men in the cell.

“Come. You’re all wanted by the officer.” The masks man booms, his large gloved hands direct his black rifle towards Kevin.

All eyes fall on Kevin as he stands up from his cot and gulps, moving swiftly out of the cell under the supervision of the small army’s eyes. Brian and Nick glance at each other before both stand and slowly ease their way out of the cell without a question. Fear clutched A.J. frozen in place as he stands inside the cell watching his friends step out of the cell.

“Alex! A.J.? Hey come on.” Kevin whispers nervously, eying the main soldier inside the cell, prying at A.J. arms to move.

A.J. nods slowly and walks outside the cell feeling the tip of the harsh rifle on his back.

“You’ll need to follow us. This way.” The main soldier states, leading the group upstairs to a wide well lit hallway. Three doors on their left were passed until the main soldier stands at the first door to their right, turning the knob to fling open the door.

The main solider turns around and eyes the four men captured. “Terrence asks for all of you to come take a seat inside this room. You’ll join your friend shortly, but you’ll need to stay here for the moment.”

The four men were pushed softly into the vacant room, its harsh white lights gleam down from the beige ceiling as the only furniture in the room: a rickety wooden desk and four folding chairs remained. The leader of the soldier’s, stands in the threshold of the room and smiles. “By the way, Terry said to smile for the camera.” Pointing to a miniature camera lodged in the corner of the ceiling. With that, he steps out the room, locking and then bolting it from the outside before the group of soldiers wonder away.

A.J. sucks his teeth, kicking at the leg of the decrypted table. “Unbelievable!” He yells, flipping his middle finger at the camera’s direction. Suddenly a shaking wavering blank white screen comes up from the back of the room, popping out of the ground and adjusting itself as if to ready to show a film. All eyes watch as the lights in the room go off suddenly as the screen blinks and lights up to show a black and white room.

“What is this?” Nick whispers out as A.J. inches close to the screen.

“This doesn’t look good.” Kevin whispers, placing his palm on the screen. The screen fuzzes and clears up to show Howie sitting in a room with metal walls and a row of devastating arsenal lied before him on a table. They watch in fear and anxiety as the screen zooms in to see Terrence stand before the camera with a smile on his face. His face was seen clearly in the screen, his hard cold steel eyes stare back at the men.

Whispering softly, Terrence begins to speak: “Welcome gentlemen. I’m glad you can join me through visual content. I’m sure you’ll take pleasure in what I have a planned for your friend here. See through my brother’s request Coby: I was advised that your friend Howie should get the utmost treatment while here in the precinct. Now in case you didn’t know, I work along side my brother in CAPPA. Yes, you heard right, CAPPA is build and working quite successfully at the moment. So under my brother’s orders I was advised that you come enjoy the gift I have planned for Howie here.” Grinning widely he continues his small speech: “So without further ado. Here’s Howie. Enjoy!”

Brian inhales deeply as he watches Terrence grab a switchblade and shows it to the camera. Howie was tied to the chair as he struggles and writhes away from the plunder that will befall him. Terrence inches close to Howie and trails the sharp blade down the man’s soft cheek, the skin breaking on contact with the sharp blade. Wincing and crying out in pain, Howie struggles to move away from the weapon but to no avail. Ropes and handcuffs strapped him in place as the blade is now encrusted in the smooth liquid sliding out of his cheek.

“Howie!! Damn! Stop it!” Kevin whispers, pounding at the screen in anger.

Brian watches painfully as Terrance places the bloodied blade down and picks up another weapon: this one a dagger that slices through Howie’s lower arm. His screams ring out loudly in the room where the Boys are watching as they cringe and yell out. Blood seeps out of Howie’s arm as he thrashes around in pain, the dark liquid crashing on the tiled floor. Terrence glances back at the camera and smiles. “Ohh boys, we’re only starting. There will be so much more fun for you to witness. I heard Howie is deadly afraid of needles. Oh wait, no that can’t be right.” Terrence rubs his chin, staring at the camera with a smile on his face. “That would be one of your fears now isn’t?” He points to the screen, his finger almost as if it can trace the person: seem to point at A.J. Smiling, Terrence walks over to the table and pushes a small button underneath it. A whirling sound in the guy’s room distracted them as Kevin stands up and looks at the walls. A.J. glances around the room and gulps as the floor begins to shake violently as a small black suitcase raises up on top of the stool. After a minute, the ground stops shaking and the black suitcase opens up by itself revealing a syringe with a long extended needle.

Clearing his throat, Brian gazes at the screen to see Terrence gazing at the camera, his eyes almost on them as if he was watching them. “So as you can all tell, this syringe is filled with a toxic chemical.”

Nick with shaking hands, lean close to the suitcase, gazing at the red filled syringe. “What is in it?”

“Ahhh, I’m sure, you’ll asking yourselves what is implanted in that syringe. Well that’s quite the secret indeed. The chemical implanted in that syringe is a vile medication that will be injected into one of your friends. Perhaps you know her. Anyway, this medication is the ultimate of all your little gifts combine together. But there’s a down side to this. In a matter hours after the medication is implanted in a human’s internal system, it begins to deteriorate, killing the organs along side of it and finally killing off the person. Perhaps you wonder why I’m telling you this?” Terrence smirks at the camera’s direction as Howie’s yells from his wounded cuts provide a form of hypnotize melodic music.

“I don’t even wanna know.” Kevin growls, glancing at the suitcase.

“Well I’ll tell ya anyway.” Terrence speaks through the camera, a smirk scrolled on his face.

A.J. eyes the syringe nervously as Nick examines it closely.

“Well its important to know that once one of your little friends are injected with the medication, you have only two days to find the result before she dies from it. Quite the treat indeed. Oh but there’s more. See once she is injected with our special formula, she won’t be the same person you once knew. No, oh she will be different personality wise and oh the treat when you see what she can do.” Terrence chuckles, heading back over to Howie.

Brian gulps, eyeing the screen before him. “Who do you think he’ll use that on?”

Kevin sighs and shakes his head, “God only knows. A.J. you alright?”

A.J. stares at the syringe nervously and nods his head, “I, I think so.”
“Good, I need you to be strong for me.” Kevin whispers, taking the syringe away from Nick and placing it back in the only slot in the red velvet interior of the suitcase. Nothing else was in the suitcase and it seemed that it was constructed only for that instrument.

“Oh Boys, your friend Howie, how much pain do you think he can take before he passes out?” Terrence asks at the camera, his face gleaming in the screen.

“Oh Howie, man, I’m so sorry.” Nick cries out, dropping his head in defeat.

“I can’t believe he is still gonna hurt Howie!” Brian yells out, closing his eyes tightly as tears flooded in them.

“Boys, perhaps you heard of this type of torture. Back in history this method was elaborated on. It was the small cuts that plaque people. You see, I heard it can drive a person insane after you provide pain at variable speed. The body will reject and accept it all that same time. Quite the intriguing thing really. Maybe your friend Howie will pass it before I’m done cutting his pretty boy face up.”

Kevin in rage screams out a list of profanities, shaking the screen in his hands.

“Kev…Kevin please calm down.” Brian whispers, the fear arising from deep within his soul.

Kevin lashes at the screen before finally breaking down, collapsing on his knees as tears stream down his face. “I, I, I can’t handle all this anymore. I’ve had it guys.” He chokes out, his emerald eyes glaze over at the syringe.

Nick inhales quickly and crawls over to his friend, embracing Kevin. “You can’t give up. I don’t wanna stay here. I don’t wanna die! Please, for Howie’s sake, don’t give up.”

“Nick’s right man.” A.J. pleads with Kevin, throwing his arms around his friend’s broad shoulders.

Kevin inhales softly and sighs, gazing at Brian who offers up a small smile.

“Kevin we’ll end this right. CAPPA won’t have the last laugh.” Brian whispers, staring at the screen watching Terrence pick up another weapon ready to puncture their wailing friend.

“But for now, it sure looks like it.” A.J. mutters upset, his eyes downcast.

“Maybe we can get out here.” Nick whispers, standing up and heading for the locked door, trying desperately to unlatch the bolted door.

“It’s no use Nick. We’re locked in here, until who ever can open it up again.” Brian whispers.

Nick in frustration and anxiety pound and kick at the door, screaming at the top of lungs before he collapses and slides down the door with his back pressed on it.

“Oh man. Nick please try to stay calm. I can’t have you freaking out k?” A.J. whispers to him as Nick roughly wipes away the tears that collected around the edges of his eyes.

Nick nods his head and gulps, sitting and waiting. Waiting for something to occur.
The only sound that resounded in their vacant room were the screams of torture coming from Howie through the screen.
~*~

Jamelet sobs softly as the leather straps cut into her skin. After Ana was taken by Coby out the room, she was left alone to wonder the fatal conclusion of her friend. Coby enters the room again with a smile on his face.

“You know, even through all this time, Ana has remained faithful to you. I just don’t get it. I try to provide everything for her and she isn’t happy. Why? You have nothing to offer her.” He whispers, brushing his fingers through Jamelet’s dark brown locks.

She winces from his touch and jerks her head away from him as he simply laughs, sitting a stool besides her.

“She did something terrible you know?”

Jamelet withheld any comments and stares at the wall opposite from him.

“Look at me little girl. I need you to listen to me carefully or Ana will suffer.” He hisses, yanking Jamelet’s head, so her eyes stare at him in pain.

“Leave her out of this. What did she do to you? Don’t you get it? She’ll never be yours!” Jamelet cries out, a ripple of pain flood her face as Coby smirks: stabbing her in the thigh.

“Shut up! You know nothing! She’s mine! Do you hear me? Mine and I’ll do what I want!” Coby enrage, pulls out the bloody blade from the woman’s leg. Standing over her, he breaths heavily, frowning at her. “You know what I did to her?! She’s locked away! No one can find her! No one will either. Only I know where she is and that’s part of the enjoyment.”

“What’s wrong with you?!” Jamelet screams out, thrashing around as Coby surprises her and releases her from the leather bound straps on the medical table.
Laughing insanely, he shakes his head, “I have a surprise for you. Company is coming and I need you to prepare for them.”

“Prepare for them?” She whispers out nervously, clutching her wounded leg with her hands.

“Yes. I can heal that wound for you right now and care for Ana to the best of the conditions if you work with me.”

“Wh…what?!” Jamelet cries out.

Coby places his hands over her thigh where the injury is and releases a faint blue light emitting from his hands. The light washes over her leg and slowly repairs the wound without a slight ounce of pain. Jamelet watches in awe as the blood stops spilling out and the skin repairs itself. In a matter of minutes, her skin closed up as if nothing had occurred and she shots her head up at Coby.

“I’ll do my part if you do your.” Coby whispers into her ear, sending frightened shivers down her spine.

“Company? Who?”

“You’ll see shortly, just make sure I have your trust on my side. If I find anything slightly remote distant about your behavior or if you give anything away, then Ana will pay the consequences. Do you understand?”

“You wouldn’t hurt Ana, you don’t have the balls to do that. You’re so fascinated with her, you wouldn’t touch not alone abuse of her. Your heart is obvious and open for anyone to see.”

Coby snarls and slaps his rough hand across her cheek brutally: sending her to reel back in pain. “You watch your mouth, what you say will have brutal effects on the company as well as Ana. You don’t know me and you have no idea what I can do to you or anyone for that matter.”

“My father was a good man. What occurred to you was out of his control, but nothing like, what you are: Is what you were suppose to be. You did that all on your own.”

Coby breaks into an psychotic laugh and shakes his head, “On the contrary my girl, this is exactly what your father wanted me to become, along with Ana. You can’t give Ana what I can. I can understand her: we’re both injected with the drugs that your father placed into our systems. You don’t know what its like to deal with such immense power in your system. Though shortly you will begin to understand. And when you do, it will be too late.”

“Is that a threat?!” Jamelet hisses out through clench teeth.

“Call it whatever you want doctor’s little girl, but I’ll make sure to have the last laugh.” And he pulls on her arm, forcing her to stand as they both struggle and make their way out of the room.
~*~

Ana wails out and traces her hands down her lap. Leaning her head back on the satin pillows she wipes the tears that threaten to fall back down her snowy cheeks. “Not again. This can’t be happening to me again. That bastard.” She sniffs, her tears dripping like the outside rain, rapidly and swiftly. She breaks a smile and recalls all the time that Howie would help comfort her, recollecting his gentle words. But now, it seemed that he was being punished by the corporation because her heart belonged to him and not Coby. “Be strong Howie, they just want to break you. But you’re better than that and always had been.” And with that she rolls onto her side and sighs, closing her eyes to shut out the pain that clouded her in the dark room. Clutching the cotton sheets over her body, she curls up on the bed and tries to rest, anything that will help her forget the situation she is caught in.
~*~

She sighs and leans back on the sofa, in shock over the sudden visitation of the two girls. “Rose, Kim. Why did you really come back here?”

“I, we will thought about you, all you guys and missed ya. We needed to talk to you all about why our powers left us, why our life as normal as we try to make it, is nowhere near as normal as it ever will be.” Kimberly whispers, her dark eyes gleam as she passes a trembling hand over her dark locks.

Sighing, Natalie shakes her head, “It’s for the best. Trust me girls, you don’t need those gifts to make your life better. You never needed it and you know that.”

“So what exactly happened with Summer, Ana and Jamelet?” Rose whispers out, rubbing the top of her covered jean knees.

“I think they were caught by CAPPA. When we got there a group of soldiers and police were surrounding the hotel where they were staying at. It was a big mess. Galen and I headed to the police station to try to make sense of all of it but I couldn’t seem to help the Boys out.”

“So you’re telling us that the five guys are caught and are in prison as we speak?” Kimberly seeps out the fatal thoughts.

Galen nods his head, trailing his fingers over his lower lip softly, “Ummm, yeah.”

“Why did they left you go then?” Rose whispers, nervously running her fingers through her flaxen locks.
“They didn’t need me for some strange reason. Natalie managed to talk to the officer in charge and was able to let me out with no bail.” Galen whispers, his tan hands run over his dark hair.

Kim gulps, “Ok so uh what can we do? I mean they need us right? We gotta help them! If they’re caught in CAPPA, we should help them out and sent them free. We did this twice, what a third time?!”

“This time is different girls.” Galen steps up, sighing. “This time our enemy is much stronger than any of you had ever seen. He goes by the name of Coby Williams.”

“Williams! What? No way, we killed his skinny a…” Rose was intercepted by Kim.

“Who wait, William? That was Cabal’s last name wasn’t it?”

“Yes, but let me finish explaining.” Galen whispers, sitting besides Natalie on the couch. “Coby is one of the sons of Cabal’s.”

“One, you mean to tell me there’s more of that guys genes in this world?” Rose murmurs out.

Natalie nods her head and tells the girls to keep quiet so Galen can finish explaining.

“Yes, seems after my thorough research I found out Cabal has two sons: One who was part of a fatal experiment gone extremely wrong. Sanchez had him along with Ana locked away a while back before you girls came into the picture. Anyways to make a long story short, both of them were participants of a sudden injection gone wrong. Ana was excused that day, but Coby however under his father’s fatal orders was forced to take a blood interaction that somehow triggered something in his system. Seems Coby has managed to control not just one power but many all at the same time. And if my calculations are right, I think he’s close to controlling almost all the gifts you along with the guys have. And when he does, which won’t be long, he will be impossible to defeat.” Galen sighs, patting Natalie’s knee.

Kim and Rose drop their mouths open, “I knew I should have stayed home.” Rose whispers, dropping her head into her hands.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 18 - Don't Tempt Me



Jamelet quivered with utter nervousness as she sat down in the large company room at the bowels of CAPPA. Coby had prepared a lavish room for whoever was arriving and made sure that she fit the scene. Jamelet was bound in a tight red dress that left no room for comfort. The dress reached the floor with two similar slits up the sides advancing toward her hips. Her chest lay crushed beneath a tight bodice, adhering to every curve. Her silky black curls were thrown into a romantic bun, allowing ringlets to gentle fall. Jamelet feared that in this attire she might be requested to do some distasteful things in the presence of the guests. She found a heavy burden was laying upon her shoulders, because if she didn’t perform to Coby’s liking, Ana would fall into the pits of Hell with no chance at a return.



“STAND UP!” Coby barked as he sauntered into the room. He looked as if he were prepared to be some sort of king. He wore the finest silk shirt with a pair of loose fitting khakis. His dark curls were whisked away from his gray eyes, leaving a haunting glare upon his face. Noticing that Jamelet was not moving at his recommended pace, he snatched her wrists and yanked her upward. “Did you not hear me?”



“I-I’m sorry,” Jamelet stammered, knowing she could never be as bold Ana.



“You better be. My guards are leading them toward us now. Make haste and be friendly.”



“O-Okay, but… You have to at least show me that Ana is okay! You’ll have my full consent to do whatever you want. I just…I need some type of proof!” Jamelet hissed toward him, reaching out to grasp his hand. Coby growled, pushing her back into a seat. Jamelet winced as she almost flipped over the back of the chair, but she persisted. “You need to give me proof! Show me, damnit! Show me!”



Without hesitation, Coby held out his palms. A foamy white ball formed within his palms that filled with a misty haze. Jamelet leaned forward, anxiously peering amongst the shadows. Sure enough, Ana was pictured in a brilliantly white room. She lay around several satin pillows, staring at her wounded hands in anxious worry. Jamelet narrowed her eyes, noticing icy tears falling against Ana’s pale cheeks. Jamelet took a sharp breath, never had she seen Ana cry. Despair began to set against Jamelet’s soul. It looked as if Ana had given up all hope. And, if Ana had given up hope, why should Jamelet believe that there was a chance of escape?



“Have you seen enough?” Coby asked.



“Yes,” Jamelet sighed. The image disappeared just as fast as Coby had conjured it. Jamelet stepped away from him, bumping into a nearby couch. She stumbled under the stress, falling against the couch. Coby seemed pleased with her reaction to the image. He folded his large arms across his chest, staring down at Jamelet. She studied him closely, absolutely amazed. She noticed that during his fight with Ana, he had used telekinesis and fire. Yet, now he demonstrated an entirely new ability. Jamelet feared that she might be above her head this time. “You… How many gifts do you have?”



Coby narrowed his eyes toward her, allowing a dark glare to flicker against his pupils. “Too many for you to possibly fathom.”



Jamelet decided to say nothing further, fearing that Coby might be willing to demonstrate some of his talents against her. Instead, she bowed her head and folded her hands into her lap. The silence was broken with a soft tapping on the door. Jamelet allowed her eyes to move to see Coby clap his hands with approval. Quickly, Coby bent down and squeezed Jamelet’s upper arm tightly. He yanked her up and pulled her toward the far wall. He offered a devilish smile toward Jamelet. “Would you like to see the men you’ll be entertaining while I devise the depths of my plans?” Coby asked.



“I suppose,” Jamelet drawled carefully.



Coby placed his hand firmly upon the wall. Jamelet gasped and took a step backward as the wall melted into an icy transparent glass. Jamelet’s eyes grew wide in apprehension as four men were thrust into the room. She immediately pressed her hands against the cool glass, eyeing each man closely for any trauma. Jamelet felt her heart skip a beat when she gazed upon Nick. For reasons unknown, she wished to hold the man in her arms and soothe his worries. The look in his eyes warned Jamelet that he believed it was his entire fault. Jamelet thanked the Lord, however, because the four men sat upon the nearby chairs without any problems. None were physically damaged, but it was apparent they had suffered emotionally. For, each held the same look in his eyes – panic.



“Where’s Howie?” Jamelet blurted, noting only four men sitting upon the chair with armed guards surrounding them.



“He’s walking down the corridor now,” Coby explained, motioning toward the other wall. The wall closest to the corridor became a watery, transparent glass.



Jamelet choked on the urge to scream when Howie came into her view. He was stumbling under tremendous pain as a man identical to Coby slammed a butt of a gun into the middle of his back. Howie stumbled to the floor, coughing thick clots of black blood. He bowed his head in shame, struggling to crawl on the floor. It was apparent that more wounds lay beneath his bloody clothing as he clutched his stomach. Without any remorse, the identical man kicked Howie in the chest, causing him to flip onto his back. Jamelet finally allowed a scream to pierce the air, noticing the thick cuts applied to Howie’s face. Each oozed with fresh blood as another man punched Howie squarely in the jaw.



“Please! Don’t!” Jamelet urged, turning to face Coby. Jamelet could only imagine the pain Ana would feel when she realized what had happened to Howie. Fresh tears gathered at the corners of Jamelet’s eyes, threatening to spill over. “I know that you hate Howie with all your heart. But for God’s sake, he needs a doctor! Ana would care for you more if she was aware that you saved Howie from that madman. Just, God, don’t hurt him anymore!”



“Don’t hurt him you say?” Coby asked.



“Yes!”



“Ana would love me to know that I saved this pathetic fool?” Coby asked, watching several men pounce upon Howie with savage beatings.



“PLEASE! He needs a doctor!” Jamelet screamed, unable to hold her tongue.



“Fine,” Coby announced curtly. He motioned toward the watery wall, making it disappear completely. He glared upon Howie and then toward the identical man. He clicked his fingers and Howie was thrown to his feet and dragged down the hall. Coby smiled bitterly as he grabbed Jamelet roughly by the arm. He took a deep breath and threw her into the other wall. Jamelet screamed, fearing she might be injured. But, instead, she melted through the thickness and tumble upon the boys.



*~*~*



Howie gagged as he was thrown onto yet another metal table. Immediately, Terrence tied him to the board with thick leather straps. Howie’s body had given up the fight long ago. Howie’s mind was cloudy with intense pain, making it impossible to recognize his surroundings. He could only remember the knife slashing against his body, tearing into his delicate skin. He then recalled the searing salt that Terrence had rubbed into his fresh wounds. Only to be followed with more cuts from the knife. Although he had only been tortured for several hours, it seemed like centuries in his own mind. Howie moaned a soft request of mercy, unable to speak louder because he had broken his voice long ago with his excruciating screams. Yet, Terrence merely spat into his face with the simple request. Howie choked, turning his face to the side. He watched as his own blood dripped freely against the white marble floor. It was within the final hour that Howie had actually pleaded that God allow him to die.



“So, this is the infamous Howie, Terrence?” another man called, grabbing Howie roughly by the throat. He forced Howie to stare into his eyes. Howie felt sick as he gazed into what seemed to be Terrence’s own eyes. Howie averted his gaze long enough to notice that Terrence sat in the corner of the room and the man before him… They were exactly identical. The man laughed bitterly, slamming Howie back onto the table. “You are the man who has stolen Ana’s heart?”



“Ana? Is… Is she okay?” Howie wheezed as the breath was forced from his lungs.



“She’s perfectly content in my arms,” Coby hissed, pulling up his white sleeves. “Do you have any idea who I am?”



“The reincarnate of the Devil Terrence?” Howie guessed bitterly, struggling to push past the pain.



“You really are a fool,” Coby declared, allowing his fingertips to glow a brilliant red. “I am Terrence’s twin brother, idiot. And, like Ana, I am an older experiment within CAPPA. Like Ana, I was bred for destruction. Only I know what she could possibly need. Yet, no matter how I try to please her, she holds onto some silly fantasy that you are her match. So, I come to you today with a bargain.”



“I would never bargain with a louse like you,” Howie groaned, struggling against the straps.



“Teach him a lesson, Coby,” Terrence enthused.



“You’ll want to make a bargain with a louse like me once I’m through with you!” Coby threatened, advancing toward Howie. His eyes were dark with intense hatred. Howie matched Coby’s fierce glare. “You see, my brother may be quite talented with a knife against your skin, but I contain something deadlier. You see, I wield many gifts from CAPPA. Allow me to give you a mere demonstration of some of my powers.”



Coby snapped his fingers and Terrence tore away Howie’s bloody shirt. Coby smiled warmly at the deep knife carvings Terrence had accomplished. Spiteful words had been scrawled into Howie’s chest, labeling Howie weak and inferior. Coby twirled his finger to allow an intense flame linger against his fingertips. He pushed his fiery fingers against Howie’s collarbone, causing him to shriek in pain as his skin smoldered from the flame. Coby motioned with his other hand toward Howie’s neck, causing a crushing sensation against Howie’s windpipe. Howie clawed at the straps, struggling to get toward his throat. His eyes bulged with intensity. Coby then allowed an intense electrical charge to jump from his fingers, shocking Howie in various tender areas. Howie screeched, struggling to regain his breath. Coby simply laughed, “How does it feel to have your power turn against you? How does it feel to have your friends’ powers to turn against you?”



Howie kicked at the table as dark spots began to cloud against his eyes. His skin turned deathly pale before Coby decided to release the intense grip of his telekinesis. Howie gasped as air quickly rushed into his lungs. His skin adhered against his ribcage with every deep breath. Coby seemed delighted as he cracked his fingers. “That’s not all I can do Howie. How would you like a permanent scar by your lover’s gift?”



“G-Get away,” Howie gasped.



“Take a deep breath, this will hurt,” Coby answered, allowing his index finger to glow a brilliant blue. He plunged his icy finger deep into Howie’s chest, amongst the deep knife scars. Howie screamed as a bitterly cold burn flamed against his skin. He struggled against the table, clutching at the sides. Terrence clapped with happiness, egging Coby further. Yet, Coby said nothing as he stroked his finger along Howie’s chest, writing CRADLE-ROBBER within the frostbiting cold. Coby seemed quite pleased with his work as he looked at Howie’s blackened skin. “Her power is quite deadly, is it not?”



“Fuck you!” Howie exclaimed as pained tears rolled down his bloody cheeks.



“Watch your mouth or I won’t show you my most potent power,” Coby warned. He admired Terrence’s handiwork upon Howie’s flesh. He then gazed upon the wounds he himself had inflicted. Coby hesitated when he noticed all the flesh wounds across Howie’s face. Coby clicked his tongue in pity, grabbing Howie’s face within the palms of his hands. “One thing I can’t stand is a cut-up pretty boy.”



Howie was amazed as a brilliant green color exploded from Coby’s hands and washed against his face. Each knife wound immediately healed as the blood was pooled back into his body. Howie was relieved when the pain dissipated from his face. Coby held up a mirror to show Howie that all the wounds in his face had disappeared without any scarring. “You know, Howie. I can heal every single wound upon your body. I can cease the pain exploding within your skull. And all you have to do for me is tell Ana that you no longer wish for her love. I need you to completely end anything you had with Ana for her own good. She needs someone that understands her. Not some pretty-boy who flashes off his powers to win the heart’s of girls years younger than he. Stop being a Cradle Robber and allow me to heal you.”



“You want me to break Ana’s heart?” Howie murmured, noticing the pain disappearing as Coby concentrated on him. Howie couldn’t deny that he desperately wished to be rid of the pain, but he would not allow himself comfort at the expense of Ana’s heart. He had already hurt her and it felt as if he had torn his own heart. He knew that he could never face Ana and truthfully tell her that he no longer cared.



“For her own sake!” Coby growled.



“You can’t exactly keep her happy,” Terrence continued, admiring his reflection in a nearby mirror. “It’s better to give Coby the chance at fulfilling her needs. God knows my brother needs a good lay–”



“Shut up, Terrence!” Coby snapped, turning back toward Howie. “So, do you accept my offer? Painless freedom in exchange for Ana’s heart?”



“No,” Howie blurted without hesitation.



“Excuse me?” Coby choked.



“I would rather die than tell Ana that I care nothing for her,” Howie declared honestly. “You can do the worst to me, but I will still care deeply for that woman. Just because you are afraid of some healthy competition doesn’t mean that I’m not. Because, in the end, I’ll win, because I desire Ana’s heart while you probably only desire her body.”



“You… You son of a bitch!” Coby roared, unable to hold his temper. He reached out with his hands. Howie took a deep breath, noticing the large balls of flame leaping against Coby’s skin. It was obvious that Coby held every intention of killing Howie for Ana’s love. “I’ll tear your body apart and still keep your brain alive so you may feel every ounce of pain! I will make you die a thousand deaths and still let you cling to a strand of life. You will wish that you never met her!”



Howie prepared to have Coby lunge toward him, but Terrence grabbed Coby roughly by the arms. “Coby! Forget this asshole. We’ll deal with him later when we both have the energy. For now, let’s go see if Ana can…increase our appetites.”



“Excuse me?” Coby growled, glaring toward Howie.



“I want to see Ana,” Terrence repeated with a lustful smile, loud enough for Howie to hear.



“You want to have sex with Ana,” Coby replied hatefully.



“Either way…”



Coby swallowed his anger toward Howie, allowing the balls of fire to shoot from his fingers and smash against a metal wall. He wanted to kill his brother for the sexual suggestion toward Ana, yet, he couldn’t allow himself to drown the idea. The very thought of Ana made him dizzy with excitement. Coby turned toward Howie, pummeling his fist straight into Howie’s jaw. Howie groaned as a fresh spill of blood spurted into his mouth. Coby wiped the blood from his knuckles on Howie’s shirt. “You made a fatal mistake, Howie. I will be visiting you later once Ana has revived Terrence and myself. And, just know that if Ana refuses my advances – she will die a most horrid death.”



*~*~*



Ana was drawn away from her light sleep when she heard the steady echoes of footsteps. She lurched forward in the bed, careful not to bump her injured hands. Her eyes were wide with anxiousness, praying that Coby had come to his senses. She watched anxious as a familiar figure leapt into the room. Ana immediately recognized it to be Coby, because of the shape shifting through the walls, but she was utterly wrong. Instead, Coby had thrust Terrence into the room while he tended to gathering Ana new clothing. Ana didn’t notice the change as she shifted cautiously on her bed. She was prepared to talk her way out of the situation, knowing that she probably couldn’t beat Coby in a match of powers. So, Ana shifted into her most seductive charms, knowing that if Coby wanted her heart that she would have to play a different part.



“Coby, this is so foolish. You can’t keep me locked in here. I want to love you, but I can’t love you while you keep me locked up like Rapunzel,” Ana pleaded softly, watching Terrence sit next to her upon the bed. She allowed him to run his hands through her silky curls, pulling her close to him. Ana felt nauseated when Terrence’s hands slipped down her back, yet she said nothing. She had to act cool in order to ensure her safety. His aggressive behavior would pass once he had his fill of touching her.



“I’m only keeping you here for your protection,” Terence informed, playing the part of his twin. He felt his body grow warm as he allowed his hands to stroke Ana’s back. He decided that if he could play the part of his twin, then he should also reap the benefits of Ana’s aggressiveness. Terrence couldn’t deny that she was a beautiful girl. She alluring, just like Jamelet.



“This is not for my protection, Coby. Please, this is unfair. I feel like an animal at the zoo.”



“I could join you in your animal nature upon this bed,” Terrence suggested, ravenously grabbing her hands.



“Excuse me?” Ana screeched in pain, immediately pulling back her hands.



“Oh! Ana! I forgot that I had injured you so! Please, let me take care of that!” Terrence cooed, examining her hands. He noticed they were charred black as skin flaked off to reveal deeper layers of tissue. Her eyes were watery with tears as she merely nodded in acceptance. Terrence smiled, reaching for a small first aid kit. Without hesitation, he began to treat the wounds like a normal man.



That was his fatal mistake. Ana studied his posture with confusion. She knew that Coby had the power to heal wounds, yet, he was taking care of her burned hands like a normal man? Ana studied him closely as he began to wind gauze around her throbbing hands. She noticed a tinge of dark gray in the man’s eyes, alerting her that this indeed was not Coby. Ana knew that this could very well be her chance to escape. Terrence held no powers to use against her. With a seductive smile, Ana ran her bare foot against Terrence’s chest. “Coby, I was so foolish, would you like to join me in a steamy shower?” she purred.



“Of course!” Terrence laughed, reaching up to brush his lips against her own.



As soon as their lips connected, Ana took her chance. She stood up and kneed Terrence directly in the groin. He wheezed in surprise, falling against the wall. Ana tackled Terrence like a tiger hunting for prey. She wrapped her injured hand firmly around his neck, squeezing tightly. She no longer cared about the pain as her irises grew a deadly white. The room dropped into the sub-zero temperatures as icy winds whipped about Ana’s form. She had every intention of killing the man as she spoke with crisp icy words. “You arrogant asshole. To think you would play your own brother in order to score a piece of ass. Too bad you didn’t think about all the details. You, unlike your brother, are fully normal. Coby would have taken care of me by completely healing my wounds – yet you reached for gauze? What kind of idiot do you think I am? Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”



“I was hoping,” Terrence hissed, wrapping his hands around Ana’s secured hand. He felt the cold wind whip against his cheeks, chapping instantly. Yet, no ice flowed from her hands. Terrence’s lips curved into a sinister smile, still holding tightly to Ana’s wrist.



“What the Hell are you smiling about?”



“About your womanly idiocy,” Terrence sneered, tracing his hands down to her hands. Without any hesitation, Terrence reached out and dug his fingers into both her burned palms. Ana screeched in surprise at the agonizing pain that leapt through her body like electricity. Terrence swept into his back pocket, removing a switchblade. Without any hesitation, Terrence slammed Ana to the ground and pinned her hips beneath his thick thighs. He held the switchblade to her throat, panting heavily with a greedy smile. “You may be able to control the icy storms, but you cannot inflict pain by ice with your hands. Not while they’re injured at least. Your power would tear through your hands like flimsy slices of meat.”



“The words kiss my ass are coming to my brain,” Ana replied hatefully, cursing her luck.



“You would have been better off conjuring a hailstorm,” Terrence laughed, ignoring her bitter hiss. He kept the switchblade poised at her throat, while allowing himself to roam her body freely with the other hand. Ana yelped in pain while he squeezed her most tender areas with threatening aggressiveness. His hand traced down areas that were never meant to be touched before marriage. Ana screamed out a dangerous threat, but Terrence continued to tarnish her body. “I think today is the day that your fierce spirit is broken by two men. I was thinking of giving Coby the pleasure of breaching your chastity, but now I want a part of this grand experience. Your liveliness will be a joy in the bedroom.”



“I’d rather you scrape that switchblade across my throat.”



“You may get your wish if you don’t listen, but your punishment will be two-fold. We will get our way, Ana, no matter what. I’m an impatient man. If you will not consent, I will take what’s rightfully mine. Is that understood?” Terrence asked, crushing his thighs against her hips. Ana said nothing, so Terrence allowed the blade to slip down to her collarbone. Ana winced while blood traced down her skin, but she refused to call out. Seeing that the wound had no effect, Terrence reached into his back pocket. “I thought you wouldn’t consent, so I brought some leverage.”



“Leverage?” Ana repeated, watching him shuffle through several photographs. Without hesitation, he began to show her the pictures. Ana’s eyes adjusted to the darkness that Terrence had brought and found herself growing physically ill. The man in the pictures was severely mangled. Blood pooled from every possible source. Several deep lacerations cut into the precious skin of his face. Huge purple bruises broke against his skin where torture devices had been supplied. Several photographs contained the man being humiliated by several different objects. Ana stared at the man’s face for several moments before she realized it was Howie. “YOU BASTARD!”



“I knew you’d react that way to seeing your tortured beloved. Do you know he’s in this containment area as we speak? But he’ll never know where you are because you’re hidden away in a place so secretive that even the FBI would be lost. So, we’re going to play a little game. You do what Coby and I demand and he won’t be hurt any more. You give me any of that saucy mouth – I’ll butcher him like a pig. Understood?”



“DAMN YOU!” Ana screamed, bringing her hands up to his throat. Her hands pained as they began to turn icy blue. She didn’t care if her hands were amputated from her body, Howie would not be hurt. Nonetheless, Terrence expected such and quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her back down. He reached for his switchblade, sliding it under the fabric of Ana’s tank top. He began to grip her tightly, preparing to continue with his dastardly plan.



“TERRENCE!” Coby roared suddenly as he melted into the room. It took Coby only a few seconds to realize what Terrence had planned. Coby swooped down and blasted Terrence with a harmless ball of wind. Terrence tumbled to the floor in shock as Coby scooped Ana off the floor. He quickly brought Ana to the bed, admiring her crippled hands. Coby shook his head in disgust. “I am so sorry Ana! I had no idea that… God! Let me help you!” Coby quickly allowed his hands to glow as he encased Ana’s hands, within seconds her hands returned to normal. Coby brought her hands to his lips. “Please forgive me. Please? Please don’t be upset.”



“I’m not,” Ana answered, staring at her cured hands. She watched as Terrence slowly gathered himself to his feet. Ana then gazed at Coby, who stared at her with hope. She knew this was her only chance. She gathered her nerves, rolling off the bed. Everything seemed to blur as Ana grabbed Terrence by the throat and put herself behind him. A sharp icicle burst from her hand, embedding only a few centimeters into Terrence’s throat. He wheezed in surprise, buckling under the pressure. Ana held him up, peering over his shoulder. “Is Howie here, Coby?”



“Ana—”



“Don’t toy with me. I can embed this icicle all the way into Terrence’s throat, killing him. And you know that you need your little twin to do your bidding. You’re smarter than you let on. So, don’t tempt me, because I will kill him without regret So, answer my damn question,” Ana hissed, forcing Terrence to walk forward to Coby. There was a dark hatred in Ana’s eyes, willing Coby to step out of line. She would have no problem slaughtering the man who attempted to rape her. “Is Howie here?”



“Yes,” Coby countered, watching Terrence’s eyes fill with terror as the icicle entered his flesh another centimeter. Terrence cried out in pain, feeling bubbles form in the back of his throat. He prayed for his brother not to make a foolish mistake.



“Good, so here’s the deal. You take me down to the others and there will be no harm down. If you don’t take me down to the others, you’ll have one less sibling to worry about and all the hatred in the world that I could possibly conjure toward one person. So help me God, Coby, don’t tempt me.”



“Ana, please!”



“It’s your choice – freedom for me or death for your sibling.”
~**~

**~To Be Continued..~**

“Termination of Sanity”

**~Lost In Mind~**

Brian gasps, watching Jamelet tumble through what seemed like an invisible wall onto the marble tile floor the room provides. “Jamelet? Is, is that you?” He whispers glancing at the woman in the tight satin red dress that seemed to have captured every possible curve the creature has. He clasps his hand on her arm and with Kevin’s help: both help the woman off the floor.

“Hey girl, oh God I’m so sorry you’re here.” Kevin whispers, eyeing her and checking to see if she was injured on her arms or face.

“I, I, I’m ok. Just fine.” Jamelet whispers, trembling slightly because her actions will dictate what will happen with Ana health. Nick and A.J. approach the woman and sighs, embracing her as Jamelet welcomes the hugs and sighs, relief flooding her system in seeing familiar faces.

“We didn’t know what happened to you girls after the whole leaving for the hotel.” A.J. whispers softly gulping.

“Yeah well, figured nothing good would have come out of wanting to be separate. You girls should have stayed with us.” Nick mumbles, the guilt chewing away ever so slowly at his tortured soul.

“And…and Howie wouldn’t have been taken from us.” A.J. growls, clenching his fists tightly to his side.

“Howie.” Nick sighs, dropping his head.

Jamelet gulps and nervously tugs on the dress that was beyond snug on her body, “Gu, guys. I’m sure Howie will be ok.”

The four men gaze at her strangely and shake their heads. “Huh, what? You’re kidding me right girl? I mean I know it hasn’t been that long since CAPPA pulled this stunt. And you’re telling us that Howie is fine? Ha, if you only knew what we witnessed.”

“Well what did you see exactly?” Jamelet whispers slowly.

Brian swallows and slumps onto the cold tile, drawing his knees up to his chest, “We, we, we saw Howie tortured! Seems Terrence or whatever the hell the guy’s name is, send soldiers to take us out of the cell and into a room where we witnessed Howie getting tortured first hand! And there wasn’t a damn thing we could do about it cause we saw it all from a projection in a separate room. I guess Terrence thought it would be more effective for us to personally see what is being done to our friend without stopping him.”

“Oh God, this shouldn’t have happen. What are we gonna do? I, I saw Howie.” Jamelet whispers, dropping her gaze to the floor.

“Where?” A.J. whispers.

“I don’t know, I just saw Coby revealed it in his hands, he had some white clear ball form out of it and it showed Ana and Howie!” Jamelet whispers out, already fearing she said too much.

“Oh man. K. Listen to me Jamelet, where is Ana and Summer?” A.J. whispers, placing his palms on her cheeks, holding it as she sighs.

“That’s the thing! Ana was taken away. Seems Coby has a thing for her. I don’t know where she’s at but I’m sure Coby is taking care of her.” She whispers out, hating to lie to the only allies in this sick corporation.

“What?! Like Hell he is! Where is she?” Nick whispers out, pushing A.J. away from her gently.

“I told you, I don’t know! He hid her away. That’s all I know.”

Suddenly Brian’s soft murmurs fill the air, You saw her didn’t you? She’s hurt right?”

“Look, stop questioning, I’m just as much in this as you guys are.” Jamelet whispers, clutching her hands tightly upon her bosom.

A.J. narrows his eyes and exhales, “Ok, so Ana’s locked away somewhere and Summer, where is she?” He drawls out slowly, hoping to see if Jamelet will provide the right answer now.

“I was last with her a while back. Before Coby came for me.”

“Came for you?” Nick whispers, stepping close to her.

“Uh yeah, yeah. He wanted to show me the entire facilities to ease any doubts. Guys, Coby isn’t the bad guy here you know?” Jamelet squeaks out suddenly as A.J.’s eyes lit up as he pushes her to the wall, slamming his hands on either side of her, locking hr in place.

“Right whatever. Why are you lying? You are protecting?” A.J. hisses, his face inches away from her.

“Whoa, hey Alex, that’s enough already.” Kevin calmly speaks, tearing the man away from the frightened woman.

Nick breathes out calmly, approaching Jamelet. “Look, we’re sorry if J freaked you out, but we need what is going on here. Please, if you can tell us anything that you know, it can help us out. Please.” He whispers out, gently stroking the shivering woman’s brown locks.

Jamelet fervently shakes her head, moving away from Nick’s touch.

“So this is it? We’re placed in here for the hell of it and wait till somebody feeling pity comes for us?” A.J. yells out, receiving glares from Brian and Kevin.

“Yeah, unless you have a better idea?” Kevin sneers, his emerald eyes glitter in heated debate.

A grin spans A.J.’s cheeks as he rubs his hands together in glee, “Well, if Howie was wanted for his powers and we’re all here with our powers, why don’t we experiment and see if we can get out of this room?”

“J, you know this place is probably built to prevent that from happening.” Brian whispers.

“Hey what’s with the pessimist attitude?! Go on A.J. let’s see if we can try this man.” Nick whispers, frowning at the young doctor’s response to him.

Kevin growls, rolling his eyes: “Fine if you think this will work. But I say you’re wasting your time.”

Nick and A.J. smirk and whisper quietly to one another before stretching and waving their hands ready for their ‘gifts’ to appear.

Brian sighs and walks quietly over to Jamelet who seemed lost in her thoughts, “Hey. I’m sorry if you were feeling pressured with the other guys about knowing info. We’re not really thrilled having to do this one more time. But I know you wouldn’t lie to us, you’re just looking out for all of us. Plus you are the one with the medical degree.” He smirks innocently, his ocean eyes glittering gently.

Jamelet sighs and attempts a feeble smile at his expense before swallowing the heavy burden and guilt that consumed her. “Right. Thanks for understanding.”

“Hey and if anything. I believed ya.” Brian whispers, patting her hand gently in his, before taking a seat on the floor besides Jamelet. “I’m just curious.” Brian continues as he watches A.J. and Nick failing to persuade Kevin to join them on their little expedition. “But ahh, what’s with the dress?”

Jamelet gasps and looks down at her outfit frowning. “What, you don’t like?”

Brian laughs and shakes his head, “No, its not that. Its just I’m surprised to see you in something so well uhhh…ummmmm… You know revealing.”

Jamelet snorts, watching Kevin shake his head in disapproval at Nick and A.J.’s antics. “Revealing. Am I hearing a complaint?”

“Oh no no. By all means no. I’m just curious as to why wear such a dress.”

“For all your arrivals. I want you all to feel comfortable here. There isn’t anything for you to worry about. Which is why I’m wearing this. Besides Nick doesn’t seem to have a problem with the dress.” Jamelet sneers, watching A.J. staring at the locked bolted door that held them inside.

Brian chuckles but remains silent, feeling off by the young doctor’s estrange attitude. Kevin looking on: narrows his eyes and scans the ceiling, understanding that something deeper had to be going on with the women kidnapped here. He gasps and spots various miniature cameras aligning the corners and embedded in the crest of the ceiling designs. The cameras were so small that any one can easily look over it without a second thought. But for Kevin, it seemed that along with his “gift”, his eye sight had improved greatly from it. He was able to see things that the others would look over constantly and knowing CAPPA, these could easily be one of things. “Guys.” He whispers to the group quietly.

“Huh?” A.J. asks as Nick spreads his palms apart, ready to unleash his powers.

“We’re being watched.” Kevin hisses, indicting to the cameras in the ceiling.

“Uh ok. So what do you want us to do about that?” Nick asks, receiving a harsh roll of the eyes from Brian.

“Nothing. Just sit down and shut up.” Kevin whispers, an idea already crawling through his head. The others obliged and all wait to see what Kevin had in store.

Sighing, Kevin closes his hands and with his fingertips points to the few cameras on the right side, sending a ray of invisible heat and water drops in laser like form to crash into the camera’s system. Smiling, he watches the cameras fume up and smoke, knowing the system was damaged.

Brian chuckles and eyes Kevin, “Hey what did you exactly? That didn’t look like your usual red or green lasers there.”

“Yeah!” The others quip up in response, eagerly excited to see what would happen.

“Uh yeah. Seems like I don’t just carry electrical or burning powers but I might have a little of water too.” Kevin whispers, eying Jamelet.

Gulping the woman stands up and nods her head, “Well Kevin you’re right on that. Your powers are different from the basic earth gifts the others possess. See you tend to carry more of the embodiment of what we as humans possess as natural electricity. It’s not like Howie’s gift though. You can dab into other others of the guys powers which is rare. But since you’ve been the person longest to carry the gift and are constantly surrounded by the others, your powers can reflect some of the guys. Well all except Brian since his is more of death.” Jamelet whispers out slowly, feeling the boring of others eyes on her.

“Hold up! Our boy here is a little of everything? Can he control minds?” A.J. whispers.

Jamelet smirks, “No. That’s your talent, not Kevin’s.”

“Oh ok then.” Nick whispers, watching as Kevin takes out the rest of the cameras in the room, leaving them unwatched from the company’s view.

“Well now that we’re not being watched at the moment, I say we get the hell out of this room and find Howie.” Kevin whispers, his eyes dimming a shade darker.

“Couldn’t agree more with ya.” A.J. whispers, tapering with the bolted door.

Brian smiles and whispers to Jamelet, “You said Howie is fine right?”

Jamelet forces a grin and nods, “But of course. Coby has no intentions to hurt any of us here. This is just a huge misunderstanding. Don’t you worry about it. I’m not and I’ve seen this entire building. I mean if he had a violent purpose, why would he show me all the exits and rooms?”

“To screw with you.” A.J. whispers, not believing a word Jamelet said. “And you still didn’t tell me what happened with Summer?”

“We’re not on speaking terms at the moment.” Jamelet whispers, catching A.J.’s curiosity.

“Well gee what could have happened?” A.J. nastily replies.

Brian holds out his hand to keep his friend at bay, “What’s your problem with Jamelet?”

“Ana! That’s who! Ana was needed this whole time and the rest of us have to pay the consequences for it.”

Kevin sighs and slumps on the floor, letting A.J rant some more before Nick cuts in to ask him if they should attempt with the door to free them.

“Aight, whatever. But I’m watching you Jamelet.” A.J. whispers darkly, his eyes locked on the woman, sending deep shivers down her spine.

Nick grabs A.J. by the shoulder, taking his friend’s mind off the issue at hand to the locked door that still kept them from their freedom.

Brian sighs, “God I hate this place so much.” And with that, he along with Kevin and Jamelet watch what the two other men had planned.
~*~

The soldier growls and bangs on the small camera screen, the black and white static taunting him at his failure. “Damnit! Coby will have my head if I can’t work this stupid thing right! Man, what the hell happened here?” The soldier growls, scratching the neck line of his black sweater.

A young female soldier enters the quarters, her black curls toppling pass her shoulders as she reaches the rambling soldier. “Isaac, what’s with the yelling? Terrence heard ya yells from down the hall.” The dark haired woman whispers, taking a seat beside the frantic man.

“This! This is the problem! Look!” Isaac whispers out, indicting with his palms the static of all the cameras around the facilities.

“Sheez, you think with all the money the company makes, it would have better security.” The woman whispers.

“Thank a bunch Farah, you helped out a lot. Really you did. Now can you leave?” Isaac grumbles, annoyed at the presence of the woman.

Farah simply laughs and leans back in her cushioned seat, shaking her head. “Alright. I’ll leave as soon as I finish what I came here for.”

“Fine, whatever. Do what you gotta do and leave.” Isaac grumbles, messing with the buttons to see if any of the static can be fixed.

“Ok.” Farah whispers, her hazel eyes lit up in hate as she pulls out her magnum and pulls the trigger, sending the bullet to hit its awaiting target. Farah smiles and packs her magnum away into her hostler quietly as the popping sound ends. She watches Isaac sit quietly, staring at her in awe: not moving an inch as a trail of blood leaked out of the bullet hole in the center of his forehead. She smiles, pulling out a rag to clean the smeared blood and particles of brain that stained the small static televisions sets. “There, there. All fixed now.” And she leaves the room, pushing a bottom on the side of the threshold and steps out, leaving the corpse to wallow in his own misery.
~*~

“What kind of choice is that? Do you expect me to choose something so vile as that?” Coby hisses, standing up from the ground. “Listen to me, my love, I just think this…”

But Ana interjects and hisses out, “I swear to God, I’ll kill your brother and serve his organs to you as dinner! I’m not your slave nor your love! I’m a freaking human being! Do you hear me?! Can you understand what that means!? I don’t love you, I won’t ever love you!”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear that! You once loved me! Why can’t I let you win my heart? Ana you know what kind of man I am! Why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you so in denial?” Coby whispers gently to her, taking one step at a time towards the raving woman. “Is that what you want? Freedom? Ana I can provide greater freedom that those lousy friends you have ever can.”

“Don’t call them that! They are good people, you know nothing about. Let me go now or your brother will die for your mistakes. And what a pity that will be to see your own blood go to waste.” She sneers as the icicle cuts into the soft flesh of Terrence’s throat.

“Fine. You win.” Coby sighs, seeing Terrence mouth out a “thank you.”

“Good. Glad you see it my way. Now if you don’t mind. I’m walking out of this room and if you think you’re brother is safe from me, think again. Coby, I know you more than you think. But know this, I can never care for a betrayer. That should give you something to think about. Now show me where Howie is or I’ll take out your entire corporation: soldiers and all. I have no pity for anyone except those that belong to me.” Ana whispers, stepping back towards the open threshold with Terrence dragging along with her. The icicle only mere centimeters from slitting his throat.

“Let me belong to you. Ana please. Make me understand why all this hatred is towards me. I know I screwed up, but you have to remember the past. All the times I stood up for you. Ana when you were a little girl and they would take you and torture you for hours in the medical rooms, you would always come to me afterwards and I was there to comfort you. Ana, we have history. You are my little girl.” Coby whispers.

“History is the past. That’s long forgotten. This little girl is all grown up now. You can never belong to me: I already belong to someone else. You don’t know me anymore.” She murmurs, stepping outside the room and slamming the icicle into Terrence’s arm, wounding the man terribly. She watches the sharp icicle blade sink into the man’s flesh as he cries out vehemently, thrashing around in pure agony.

Coby races outside to see his brother crying out for help. He kneels over his brother, healing him as he watches Ana disappear down a hall, running away from him and his love.
~*~

He opens his eyes, wincing at the harsh lights that greeted him upon his waking. His face still felt sore from the beating Coby did to him earlier today. Licking his lips, he tastes his blood: the scent almost nauseating to him. But among the pain, his thoughts only adhere to Ana and how lost she must be feeling at the moment.

He closes his eyes and hears a voice. Struggling to lift his head from the leather straps that kept him bound, he raises his head and peers around to see who it was that entered the room. But no one was there. Instead the familiar voice sounded off in his head once again. “Alex?”

‘Yeah, hey buddy. Finally got through to you.’

Howie holds a sob of glee and whispers out, “I almost forgot you can do that.”

‘Uh, the whole getting into minds thing huh? Yeah it’s alright. Just glad I can hear ya man.’

“Alex where are you? The guys?” Howie whispers out, grimacing at the straps cutting into his flesh as he moved around.

‘Don’t know: we’re all in a room with Jamelet. We saw what happened to you man. I promise that man Terrence will die for what he did to you.’

“You saw what happened to me?” Howie murmurs out.

‘Oh God yeah. We’re all ready to break someone’s neck at the moment for what we’ve seen happened to you.’

“Wait, you said you’re with Jamelet?” Howie voice breaks out.

‘Uh yeah.’

“Ohhh. And she’s alright?”

‘Personally I’m not really sure. She’s acting shady though. I’m not sure what’s she’s trying to pull off here. But forget her. I need to know where you are. Look around the room, see if you can describe it to me.’

Howie gulps and closes his eyes, “Uhhh, oww. Alex, I’m in pain.” His voice breaks out, as an electrical sharp pain zooms down his spine.

‘He hurt I see. Look, just relax. This might feel weird, but I need to get into your body. This is the only way I can help you out at the moment. If I can see what you’re seeing, it might make it easier to track you down k.’

“But Alex, this room isn’t really special. It looks like any other observation medical room.”

‘Maybe so, but I’ll find something to know what room you’re in, k. Just relax buddy, this is gonna feel weird. And if word gets out that I was in ya body, so help me God, I’ll personally drown all your all beanie babies elephants that you collect from around the world.’

At this statement Howie manages a smile and exhales, closing his eyes in the process. At once, he feels lighter, almost as if floating. It was a strange yet pleasant feeling that seems to have lifted him from the pain he was dealing with, emotionally and physically. He enjoyed the feeling, surrounding the velvet blackness around him that shrouded him from any form of light. Howie’s eyes snap open suddenly as he struggles against the straps on his body. A.J. gasps, looking down at the body he enters. “I’m in.” Smiling, he winces at the bruise on his chin and scans the room for any room number or something that will direct him back to this room. His eyes land on a slot in the middle of the door in the room. He notices the metal steel knob different from the other knobs located in the company. ‘A knob huh? Not so technical on this. The only room without the fancy keycard.” Smirking, he continues to study the interior of the door and stops at the small shrouded blue rag that lied near the crack of the door. “Bingo.” A.J. smirks at hearing his friend’s voice instead of his own come out of his mouth. “Alright D. I got want I needed. I’ll see ya in a few then.” And with that, he lies back down and leaves his friend’s body, returning to his own.
~*~

Galen opens the front door and glances back at the three awaiting women. “Why can’t we come?” Kim insist for the tenth time.

“I already told ya why. Natalie will watch you two. I can get in. Remember I work there, I have access, plus a security card. You’ll never make it inside if you go. So stay here. I’ll call you when I reach the premises.” Galen whispers, kissing Natalie’s forehead. “It’ll be ok honey. You’ll see. I’ll get the others out safely.”

“You be careful ok?” Natalie whispers, holding the threshold of her front door and Galen steps out.

“I will.” He smiles and pinch her cheeks. Turning serious, he whispers into her ear, “If something happens to me along the way, please don’t tell the two girls. I don’t want them heading out to look for me.”

“Don’t talk that way. You’ll be fine.” Natalie whispers nervously, fidgeting with the door knob.

“I hope so.” Galen whispers and leans down to gently plant a soft kiss on Natalie’s awaiting lips. “Pray for me will ya?” He whispers to her, walking out of the apartment and taking the stairwell down.

Natalie gulps and nods her head, “I always will.” And she closes the door behind her to attain to the two sullen women.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Chap 20 – Rescue Me



Jamelet sat far away from the men as they gathered around AJ’s lithe form. He lay sprawled upon the floor with his eyes wide open in a catatonic state. Usually, Jamelet would be helping the others through the transition, but not today. After his little stunt with her, she was quite weary of his intentions. Something about his demeanor scared her. She knew he had a right to be upset. After all, Howie had been tortured in front of his eyes because of Ana. It seemed as if all the trouble Howie had gotten into for the past years was because of Ana. Nonetheless, Jamelet refused to let Ana be the scapegoat. Howie willingly put himself at risk because of the woman. So, Jamelet’s heart was torn in halves when sympathizing with both AJ and Ana.



As if on cue, AJ suddenly sat straight up and gasped for air. His face was pale and sweaty as the boys helped him to his feet. He was wobbly as the boys then placed him on a plush chair. AJ held his face in his hands, shaking his head furiously. “Howie’s in a lot of trouble. He’s in a lot of pain, too. It hurt so bad! But I know where he is! I think I can find him… So, we have to get out of here now, before they do something else that might HELP him, huh, Jamelet?”



“AJ, I told you the truth,” Jamelet stated flatly.



“Sure, whatever your lying, deceitful heart says,” AJ hissed.



“Let’s just get working,” Kevin grunted, pulling on AJ’s arm hard. AJ simply glared toward Jamelet as he walked behind Kevin. They both immediately began to plan a course of action for the door.



“You’re hiding something,” Nick commented as he sat beside Jamelet. His dark blue eyes studied Jamelet carefully. He looked immensely worried about her. He had prayed for so long that she was safe. “Look, if you don’t want to tell me that’s fine, but I am worried. I know that there’s something completely different now. I don’t know if that creepy guy Terrence is causing it or what, but I just want you to be safe. Do you understand that much? I was worried about you, Jamelet. I prayed that you were safe.”



“Well, thank you,” Jamelet whispered with a shiver. It felt like he was studying her soul. She wanted to tell him all the secrets, but bugs were still implanted about the room. She couldn’t endanger Ana’s life by any means. Ana had done so much to assure Jamelet stayed alive, so she wanted to extend the same courtesy. Jamelet tapped her fingers against the wall in anguish.



“I know you’re hiding something,” Nick repeated.



“What do you want me to say?” Jamelet groaned.



“The truth.”



“The truth is that this company is finally under the right direction.”



Nick’s eyes grew dark as he bluntly hissed, “Bullshit.”



“No, it’s not!”



“The company is good?”



“Completely!”



“You’d swear on that?”



Without hesitation, Jamelet quickly wrapped her arms around Nick’s neck. She could only think of one way to provide information without incriminating herself. She pulled him close, resting her chin against his shoulder. She whispered softly, “Nicky, just hold me close and kiss my neck so we can talk, okay?”



“Say, huh?” Nick choked. The heat began to intensify in his body by the mere suggestion.



“Just do it!” Jamelet hissed, bringing his lips against her own. Nick felt his body temperature spike with the mere connection of her lips. He struggled to maintain a clear mind as Jamelet embraced him again and began to kiss his neck. Nick slowly decided to do the same to her neck. And, with each kiss came a little more information. “The guy that held you captive is Terrence and he has a twin brother. Coby, the other twin, is infatuated with Ana because they were stored in the same room of CAPPA during childhood. Somehow, Ana missed a lethal injection of chemicals and Coby was given the entire dose. He now has several powers mostly made up of what each of you possess. Now, he wants to inject me with some terrible pathogen and kill me. He’s angry with all the doctors that did tests on him and Ana. And, he wants Ana to follow him in killing doctors. So, he trapped her somewhere when she saved me from the needle. I have no idea where he hid her and he promises not to kill her if I make you all think nothing is wrong with this place.”



“Are you sure?” Nick asked, his lips lingering on her neck.



“Why else do you think I’d wear this god-awful dress?”



“Very true, your more of a miniskirt woman.”



“I’ll bite you,” Jamelet threatened, kissing his neck once more for the full effect. Although, she couldn’t deny that his touch was more than wanted.



“You’d never bite me,” Nick chuckled, finally bringing her lips to his own for a heated kiss. Before they could engage further, Brian cleared his throat loudly. Nick and Jamelet jumped up from the bench in unison. Brian and Kevin offered smirks as AJ simply scowled. Brian motioned to the fully melted door. Jamelet’s eyes opened wide in surprise as Nick threaded her arm through his own. “Guess we’re getting out without bail.”



*~*~*



“WHERE DID THAT GIRL GO?” Terrence roared as he and Coby burst into the small control room in the center of CAPPA. His gray eyes were dark with hatred as he collapsed into a nearby chair. There was no sign of his previous encounter with Ana, but he could still remember the vivid details. He glared darkly at Farah as she searched the computers. Terrence immediately began to insult Coby when he seated himself. “Coby, that woman is dead! I don’t care what you do with her! You can capture her and rape her, but then she will suffer by my hands! I will kill her! Do you understand me?”



“Terrence, she just—”



“Bullshit, Coby! I don’t care! That little wench is dead. Do you hear me?!”



Coby bowed his head, nodding slightly.



“Sir, we can’t find her,” Farah answered unsteadily.



“Excuse me?” Terrence growled.



“She’s nowhere on the screens…and the boys have escaped with Jamelet from the other room…” Farah explained.



“I can go find and exterminate her,” Farah suggested excitedly.



“NO!” Coby roared, sending two deadly bolts of electricity and ice through Farah’s stomach. Terrence looked surprised as Farah’s body was divided into two halves as it toppled to the floor. Terrence leaned down and wiped a few droplets of blood away from his leather boots. Coby gave Terrence a dark glare. “Ana is our business and no one else’s.”



“Fabulous,” Terrence hissed in disgust, turning toward his crew. He immediately started to delegate authority to the men. “You three, go secure Summer’s quarters so the men can’t find her. You five, take Jamelet away from the group and isolate her so we can inject her immediately. And, the rest of you, get Ana and take her to the special unit. Understood?”



*~*~*



“Damn, I’m a complete and utter idiot. What was I thinking challenging Coby with his brother’s life? This isn’t back in grade school when I had an actual advantage in that damn tank. This is out in the open with him having years of experience in each damn power! What do I have? Ice! Just freaking snowballs! Not enough to compete with his force fields, flames, ice, wind, earth, and God knows what else! It’s like me fighting the whole entire group without a chance to take a breather! Why do I have to be so irrational?!” Ana raved as she hurried through a nearby door. She had managed to escape from Coby while he tended to Terrence’s minor flesh wounds. She knew it would only take a few minutes for Coby to heal Terrence and race off to catch her. Then there would be Hell to pay. Ana took a deep breath as she slowly shut the door. “I’ve got to be clinically insane. To think I think that I can stand a chance against Coby. I mean, Coby for goodness sakes! On life’s list of smart things to do I think this comes below jumping off the Empire State Building with bricks strapped to my feet a bomb in my hands!”



Ana grunted, kicking the door before turning around “Why can’t I just be a normal kid with some technical mumbo-jumbo ice powers? Have I ever really hurt anyone…okay, nix that, I did hurt people, but they hurt me first. So they got what they deserved in the long run! I mean, for real, did I ever ask for—“ Ana hesitated when she noticed a man standing at the nearby desk. Her irises slowly began to change to a blazing white color, causing the man to back against the wall. “What the Hell are you doing listening to my concerns, jerk? And what the Hell are you looking at?”



“I-ah-ah-uh-um-well-you-ah-oh-dear,” the man stammered, reaching for the phone.

“Ah, no, no, no,” Ana cooed, motioning toward the phone. The man gasped when the phone developed a thick sheet of ice to encase his hand. His eyes grew wide as Ana stepped forward, holding out the palms of her hands. The beginnings of two large icicles appeared in the center of each palm. “Coby is going to find me, whether or not you make your little phone call. So, let’s just give me a chance. Shall we?”



“O-okay,” the man wheezed.



“I won’t tell if you don’t,” she whispered, immediately firing several large icicles from her hands. The man was blown back against the wall from the powerful icicles. He screamed as each deadly icicle implanted deep into his tissues, penetrating the wall behind him. Without any remorse, Ana continues firing her deadly arsenal till the man was pinned to the wall with his feet hanging several inches above the ground. Small rivers of blood slowly trickled down the white wall as Ana plowed an icicle into the man’s brain to keep him from screaming. Ana wiped her cold hands against her jeans as she admired her handiwork. “And that’s why we don’t make phone calls without Ana’s permission!”



“Ana!” a voice called hoarsely into the silence.



Ana whipped around yet again to see Howie strapped to a nearby table. Ana’s eyes grew wide in relief as she hurried to his side. Without hesitation, she bent down and brushed a kiss on his bloody lips. “I thought he killed you. I really did. Thank God that you’re okay…” Ana’s voice faltered when she realized her foolish mistake. Her eyes began to fill with icy tears as she assessed his fragile state. His entire body was pasted with dried blood and other liquids that Ana wished not to know. Several bleeding scars still remained open with remnants of salt between the flaps of skin. Yet, his face was perfectly healed. Ana bit down hard on her bottom lip and brushed her hand through his matted curls. She had so much to make up for with Howie and she started by ripping the straps tying him to the table. “I am so sorry that this happened to you again.”



“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Howie whispered, his voice obviously strained from screams.



“I’m calling bullshit,” Ana stated plainly, helping him to a sitting position. Howie heaved heavily with relief, leaning against Ana. She kissed his forehead, finally noticing the blackened letters plastered against his chest. She glanced curiously at the obviously frostbitten flesh. Her eyes widened in shock when she read the words: CRADLE ROBBER. She stood up straight, causing Howie to fall backward in surprise. She seemed enraged as she curled her hands into tight fists. “Did he do that to you?” she accused.



“Who?”



“Coby!”



“Ana, please—”



“He’s a dead man.”



“Ana, I’m just glad that you’re okay,” Howie whispered meekly.



“No, that’s not good enough. That man is going to be punished for screwing around with someone I love. Do you hear me? Both he and Terrence will die in my hands even if I fall to death beside them. So help me God!” Ana avenged heatedly as the door slammed open. Thinking that Coby had finally found her, Ana whipped around and let a single blade of ice shoot from her palm in retaliation. The icicle flew and implanted sharply into the doorframe, mere centimeters away from the intruder’s face.



Brian offered a shaky smile when he felt the coolness radiating off the icicle that had almost punctured his face. His face grew pale as he collapsed to the floor. Gently, he whispered, “Wasn’t someone in need of rescue?”

**~To Be Continued,,.~**

“Termination Of Sanity”



**~More Than Meets the Eye~**



Galen had reached the quarters at a record time and begins his descend down a dark narrow hallway. He knew if CAPPA was to hold anyone in prison, that the area would be located beneath him. He stops and pulls out a flashlight, reaching the abandoned part of CAPPA. Piles of wood, metal and dust greeted him when he sneaked his way into this area of the building. He inches his way down the end of the desolate creaking hallway and stops, pulling out a small hammer from his backpack. Deciding that now was better than anything, he begins hammering away, hoping to break into the room below.



Summer lies on the cot alone and lonely, regretting the words she mentioned to Jamelet earlier on. By now, she fears that both Ana and Jamelet are lying dead somewhere and she could be the next one. She hears a creaking sound coming from above as she sits up to gaze at the ceiling. A small puff of powder like substance chipped from the center of the ceiling and she nervously sits up. Sliding off the cot, she walks towards the middle of the room, gazing up at the ceiling in interest.



She perks her ears up at the soft sound of what sounded like a small pounding coming from above. “What the…” She wonders off, watching the ceiling, releasing puffs of gradual white powder. The ceiling makes a moaning sound before a small crack was seen. Summer gasps and looks around the room. “Oh God, the room is caving in!” She looks up at the cameras in the room and begins waving and screaming at the camera’s direction. She needed to get help, she couldn’t stay in the room if it was going to crash down on hers.

~*~



Coby mutters and slams his fist into the buzzing, spotty white and black static T.V. screens in the control room. “What the hell is going on? Terry go check on the generators, find out what’s up with the surveillance in this place.”



Terrence smirks and steps over the dividing decaying body of Farah. “You want me to go out there where Ana is loose. Are you crazy?”



Coby growls and backs away from the screens, “Fine, then I’ll go. This wasn’t part of my plan, things breaking down. Watch the few cameras we have left and see if you spot Ana.”



“Alright, wait! Coby isn’t this the camera for the basement level?” Terrence whispers seeing a fading vision on the small black and white camera.



Coby growls, “Yeah and?”



“We had about two army groups guarding that area right?” Terrence whispers, focusing to get a better view but failing as the camera blinks, the picture jumping every few seconds.



“What’s your point?”



“That their all dead.”



“WHAT!?” Coby screeches out, racing the camera before it dies out, showing black.



“That sounds like Ana. She could be around there.” Terrence whispers, loading his pistol.



Smirking, Coby nods his head, “Good thinking brother. I’ll go meet our little Ana. And see if you can fix the generator, we have back up power stored up in case of this.”



Terrence nods and heads to the corner of the room where a metal latch is located. Opening the latch, he steps onto the built in ladder and waves his hands to Coby. ‘Good luck on finding Ana, you’ll it, she’s a feisty one. Remember I kill her, not you.” And with that, he slides down the ladder, disappearing from his brother’s view.



Coby smiles and leaves the room, ready to track down Ana.

~*~



Jamelet sighs and rushes over to Ana as the women embrace, the guys enter the room glad to see Howie. A.J. shakes his head and gently passes his hand over his friend’s wounded arm.



“Dear God Howie! What did he do to you?!” Kevin whispers, pulling out a gauze from one of the cabinets.



A.J. shakes his head and eyes the words sculpting on Howie’s chest, “Damn, what the hell? D, I’m sorry man. He’s just hating cause he can’t have her.” He eyes his friend painfully.



Howie frowns and sighs, “Yeah.”



Nick gulps and eyes the man on the ceiling, the icicles shining in the light. “Ahhh, I see this is one of your works huh Ana?”



Ana gently nods her head and exhales, glad to see them all here. “Yeah, you like? How did you get here?”



“Long story that we don’t have time for.” Brian whispers, closing the door behind him.



A.J. smiles down at Howie who was on the cot and gently with Kevin’s help sits Howie up on the cot.



Kevin begins to patch Howie up as Howie looks around wearily at the group.



“I’m sorry I had you guys worrying.” Howie whispers out.



Nick smiles, “That’s ok man. You had a reason for it. I understand.”



Howie nods and glances at Ana, smiling. “Thanks.”



“No thank you. You could have given Coby what he wanted but instead you chose to save my life by not giving up on me.”



“I would never give up on you.”



Nick rolls his eyes at Jamelet’s direction and speaks up, “Guys just kiss already.”



Kevin and A.J. stop bandaging Howie for a moment as all eyes set on Howie.



Howie blushes as Ana giggles softly. He reaches for her hand and pulls her close to him, his lips eager to savor hers. Kevin smiles and starts clapping as the others join in, whistling and rooting for the couple.



“Now all we need is Summer and A.J. can get his too.” Brian teases as A.J. smirks.



“Well now that we’re all together. We should head out.” Jamelet whispers, turning around to head to the door. Painfully, Howie is helped off the cot with A.J. and Kevin as they all exit the room and out the down the hallway.



“Where to now?” Ana whispers, gently running her fingers through Howie’s locks, easing his worries.



Jamelet shrugs and starts her way down the end of the lit hallway. Nick glances at A.J.’s direction, noticing that there was still tension between those two.



A.J. glares at Nick and snarls at Jamelet’s direction as they exit the room and make their way down the first hallway. “Personally Nick I think you have poor taste in women.”



Ana narrows her eyes and stay quiet, wanting to find out what’s going on as she remains by Howie’s side.



Jamelet gasps as Nick gulps, shaking his head. Kevin frowns and yanks on A.J.’s arm, pulling the man forward in front of the group.



“I don’t know what the hell is bothering you Alex, but I don’t have the time or patience for this, do you hear me?” Kevin hisses, clutching onto A.J.’s arm, the grip held A.J. firmly in place.



Brian sighs, shaking his head in disappointment as he offers a weak smile at Jamelet’s direction. “I’m so sorry for the way he’s behaving.”



“I’m not.” A.J. roughly responds back, yanking his arm away from Kevin’s grip.



“What’s your problem with her?” Ana couldn’t resist asking, glaring at A.J.



“Don’t worry about it ok?” Jamelet whispers, staring at the ground. Guilt plaguing her as she continues walking down the hallway.



Nick glares at A.J. and nods his head, brushing past A.J.



Ana in confusion glances at Howie who shrugs his shoulders.



“Whatever happened with them, I wasn’t there to find out.” Howie whispers gently into Ana’s ear.



A.J. simply smiles at Jamelet’s direction, glad that his remarks hurt the wrong way for either party: her or Nick.



Kevin glares at A.J. and leads the group to the end of the hallway where they would have to turn one corner before reaching a dead end.



“Nice, this is real nice.” A.J. growls out at the wall that blocked them.



“We got to get rid of the cameras guys.” Brian whispers, eyeing the ceiling.



Kevin gulps and sighs, “Alright. I’ll take care it, but you guys look out for anything ok?”



“Gotta ya.” Brian whispers, gazing at the ceiling.



A.J. walks near Jamelet and slams her on the wall, smiling, “What was the deal back there? You trying to make my boy Nicky fall for ya?” Brian watches the two and sighs as Kevin begins spewing out of his hands invisible rays of water and fire, destroying the vast camera in the hallways.



Ana growls and eyes Howie, “That’s it, he can’t treat her like that! Hey back off A.J.!”



A.J. eyes Ana angrily and continues to eye Jamelet.



Jamelet gulps out gazing at A.J.’s ridiculous actions, knowing the cameras must be filming this. “What are you talking about?” She nervously whispers out.



Nick pulls A.J. away and whispered into his ear what he learned from Jamelet about Coby and Terrence.



At once, A.J. felt his cheeks rush in warmth from embarrassment as he sighs, shaking his head. “Oh Damn girl. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”



“You never asked nicely.” Nick whispers into A.J.’s ears.



A.J. gulps, eyeing the ground. “I don’t even know where to start, I was making an a…”



“Don’t ok. It’s fine.” Jamelet interjects, sighing softly as relief floods over her. “I’m assuming we’re on the same side now right?” Seeing Kevin run around the hallway as the ceiling released smoke from the destroyed cameras.



A.J. nods his head, “Yeah and I didn’t mean about you being bad for my boy. You’re ok in my book.”



Jamelet smirks, exhaling in relief. “That’s what I thought so. And by the way, I’m too nice to be in your book.” She teases, the corners of her lips curl in mischief.



A.J. laughs and embraces the woman, glad that everything is settled once and for all.



Ana and Howie exchange confused glances at one another as they watch the strange reunion.



“Ok, look, I got some of the cameras off, but we’re being watched out from all sides.” Kevin whispers, catching up to A.J. and Nick. “We’ll see what’s at the end of this hallway k?” He points as Brian leads the way down the opposite passing by the room that they were being held at. At the end of that darkly lit hallway, there were two different hallways that expanding out on either side. “Uh guys, Right or left?”



A.J. glances at Jamelet and waits for her response.



Grinning, Jamelet whispers out, “A.J. you feeling lucky tonight?”



The others chuckle softly as A.J. nods, “I think you mean right honey huh?”



Nick pokes his friend’s side and nods as Brian leads them down the dark hallway. Suddenly a harsh blinding white light comes at them as a troop of soldiers approach them.



“Ahhhh, sh…” A.J. was cut off by a round of bullets that shatter the silent hallways.



“DUCK!” Brian whispers as he leaps at the leader of the troop and places his hands on the man’s face, instantly killing the soldier. The soldier drops on the white tiles dead as the others in the troop continue to let off another round from their arsenal. A.J. and the others stay close to the ground avoiding the fatal rounds of bullets. Nick smiles and crawls over to Brian, leaping onto another soldier. The masked soldier hisses out a string of curses before Nick places his burning hands on the man’s face, ripping the mask off.



“He’s gonna get himself killed!” Kevin shouts, hoping to distract the group of soldiers.



Ana gasps and places the wounded Howie away from the hall, “Sit here, they won’t get you from here. I’ll help out the guys”



“No wait! I can’t breath right.” Howie whispers out ragged, losing color from his face.



Ana kneels down and nervously passes her fingers through his hair. “Breath right? What? Oh God, ok. Look, I’ll stay here then and see what I can do.” She peeks her head around the corner to see the guys in battle with the soldiers.



Nick struggles with the soldier, slamming him onto the wall. He places his flaming palms onto the man’s burning face. The man howls out a petrified yell of agony as his skin melts and slides off his face, leaving behind the red muscles of tissues, dripping with fresh blood. Nick sighs and backs away, ducking as another soldier tries his luck at swinging at him. The first soldier he attacked slides down the wall, screaming as his flesh begins to burn up. Nick exhales slowly as he continues to back away, amazed at this new found of resurgence of power he felt. His bloody hands smear the white tiles as he crawls back to the group, avoiding the bullets coming at him.



Jamelet watches in horror at the power that the Boys are now showing. It was stronger than she had ever conceived. A.J. smirks at Jamelet’s expression and whispers out, “If you think Nick was bad, you should see what I can do.” And he leaps up from the ground avoiding a flying bullet that crashed on a wall besides him. Brian continues to take down the troop, instantly killing them off with a touch of his hand. One man begins to shake in convulsions the moment Brian touched him on his arm before he screams and topples over. Another soldier sees that and aims the gun at Brian, firing off a shot which missed its target completely hitting the ceiling above him.



A.J. steps up and rubs his hands, flinging the soldiers in the air, tossing their weapons aside. Not letting go of the more than ten soldiers in his invisible grasp, he lets them all drop and goes into one of the soldier’s mind. Controlling the soldier, he makes the man pick up a magnum and begins to shoot his fellow soldiers. When that was all done, the lone soldier controlled by A.J. turns to eye the four men and one woman.

Smiling, A.J. has the man lift his own pistol and shoot himself in the head, sending an array of matter to splatter on the wall behind him and his fellow soldiers.



A.J. sighs and eyes the others, “Well that was fun.” He mutters, rubbing his palms on the hems of his dark jeans.



Jamelet in awe: nervously stands up, shaking her head, “And here I thought you lost control of all your powers.”



Kevin sighs and shakes his head, “Yeah well surprise, surprise. Guess they want a round two, check that out!” All eyes veer to the left now to see a patch of soldiers armed and ready to battle.



“Ugh, not again.” Nick mutters, wiping his bloody hands with a tissue.



Ana gulps as Jamelet eyes her and goes over to her. “What’s wrong?”



“It’s Howie. He isn’t feeling well.”



Jamelet gaze at Howie and nods, “There’s a medical room somewhere around here. We’ll find one and help out Howie. But I can’t do anything about his wounds for now.”



Ana nods, “Look, stay here with Howie, I’ll go fight with the guys.”



“Ana stay with me!” Howie pleads out, fear crossing his face. Ana sighs and drops on her knees, fighting the urge to fight with the others.



This time Kevin sighs and stands in front of the others, ready to take on the next troop. “Hey Jamelet get a load of this.” And with that, extends his hands in front of him as a soldier begins to bleed immensely from his abdomen.



“What is he doing?” Jamelet whispers out to Brian, inching her way back to the guys.



“He’s killing them.” Brian responds, “This is gonna get ugly, I suggest you close your eyes on this one. Kevin is gonna show ya his stuff.”



Jamelet watches on, gulping as she sees the troop of soldiers scream and all bleed out from different limbs. Suddenly the soldier’s bodies begin to divide up from their torsos as Kevin’s red lasers divides and cuts thoroughly through the bones and flesh. Pieces of bloody upper halves of bodies and severed arms, legs and heads, slide onto the white wash tiles. Kevin sighs and drops his hands to his side in relief. The entire group of soldiers there gasps as their bodies begin to fall apart, crashing on the floor. Jamelet gasps in complete horror after the last lower torso of a body topples on the ground in a splat.



Brian looks at her and sighs, whispering into her ear, “I told you to keep your eyes closed.”

~*~



Coby snarls as he watches the fight a few feet away. Anger rushes into his body as he digs through his pockets. He was glad he made a stop at the medical room to pick up an spare vaccination. He can see his victim shielded behind four men. If only he could he get close to her and then an idea hit him. He knew how to get Jamelet near him and he chuckles, gazing at the needle with its sweet pathogen in it. And he couldn’t wait to see how Jamelet would respond to it.

~**~





**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 22 - The Prick of a Needle



Coby smiled as he watched the gifted men terminate the rest of his soldiers in only a few minutes. He was impressed with the growth of their powers, but he wasn’t worried about them attacking him. He contained a stronger force of each of their specific powers. He hid behind the wall, drawing a mental image of what surrounded the group. His eyes flashed angrily when he conjured a picture of Ana holding Howie around the next corner. His head lay in Ana’s lap as she ran her fingers through his curls, promising that he would make it through this Hell. Coby studied the heartbeats coming from Howie, noticing that the timing had slowed dramatically with each minute. The man was dying. Coby felt an angry burst of energy soar through his soul when he watched Ana place a soft kiss against Howie’s pale lips. He quickly conjured a mental image of Ana’s entire body. Slowly, he stepped away from the wall, pinpointing Ana’s wildly beating heart. He took a deep breath and squeezed his hand into a fist.



“Howie’s really sick, Ana. We need to get him to medical station,” Jamelet whispered to Ana when she noticed Howie’s eyes fluttering. He seemed to be incoherent and slipping away from consciousness. The man was growing weaker by the moment and Jamelet knew that there was no time to waste.



“He lost a lot of blood,” Ana concluded, staring down at him in sorrow.



“We’ll make him better,” Jamelet promised.



“I hope so,” Ana whispered, placing another kiss upon his lips as Howie reached to brush his hand against her cheek.



“Ana, it’ll be okay,” Jamelet whispered.



“I want to believe you, but every time you say it’ll be okay, it gets worse,” Ana recalled.



“When we get out of here, we’ll move to a better place, okay?”



“Can I just move in with Howie?” Ana asked sheepishly.



“If I can move in with Nicky,” Jamelet chided, smiling softly.



“I love you, Howie,” Ana replied softly, oblivious to Jamelet’s statement. Jamelet was actually shocked by the preview of events. Ana had never been so caring before with other people in her life. She had only shown affection to Jamelet and that was sometimes restricted. Yet, Ana gave herself unselfishly to Howie’s needs. Since Ana’s entrapment in CAPPA, she had been trained to be a menace and hateful. Yet, she sat on the cold tile floor holding Howie, praying for his life, and soothing his fears. Jamelet vowed not to let Ana’s first love be destroyed by something that had destroyed Ana so long ago.



“GUYS!” Jamelet whistled loudly, turning away from Ana and Howie. She knew there was no time to waste. The guys looked away from the carnage they had created and walked toward Jamelet. She was surprised to see them grinning in triumph at the powerful return of their powers. She offered a shaky smile toward them as they gathered around her. “I’m glad that you guys got your powers under control, but we have other problems. We need to get Howie to a treatment room, now.”



“Is he okay?” AJ asked worriedly.



“No, he’s dying—”



An ear-piercing cry erupted, halting Jamelet’s explanation. The group pivoted to see Ana drop to the floor. Howie tumbled from her arms as she immediately grasped at her chest for relief. Jamelet went to reach for her, but Ana was thrust upward several feet into the air. Ana screamed in agony as she clawed at her chest, struggling with whatever was hurting her. She kicked her legs, fighting whatever held onto her. Blood trickled from her nostrils as the invisible attack continued. Pain etched across Ana’s sweaty forehead as she pounded on her chest. Jamelet’s eyes grew wide in surprise as Ana was dragged along the ceiling, completely unreachable to the others.



“WHAT’S HAPPENING TO HER?!” Nick screamed in horror.



“MAKE IT STOP! IT HURTS!” Ana screamed louder.



“WHAT HURTS?” Jamelet screamed with dizziness.



“MY HEART! MAKE IT STOP!” Ana shrieked.



“GET HER DOWN!” Kevin hollered.



The four men went to run after her, but Coby stepped from around the corner. Instantly, the boys froze in front of Jamelet, shielding her without words. Coby offered a sultry smile as he pulled Ana behind an invisible force field that he had created to protect himself. He allowed the pained woman to hover in the air above him, still clawing at her chest as Coby mentally crushed her heart. “Do you know who I am?” Coby asked cruelly, allowing another invisible force to crush against Ana’s windpipe. Her screams were silenced into gurgles for air as her body went completely limp.



“Coby, let her go!” Jamelet ordered.



“Do you think that I won’t hurt her now, Jamelet?” Coby pondered.



“Stop trying to prove yourself,” Jamelet growled.



“What are you doing to her?” Kevin called as AJ rushed to help Howie off the floor.



“Getting my revenge on a woman who will take my heart or death,” Coby declared, pointing toward the wall. Instantly, an image of Ana’s heart reflected on the wall. Jamelet’s eyes watered when she noticed the transparent hand squeezing about Ana’s trembling heart. Coby’s gray eyes glittered in pure delight. “I’m controlling her heart, Jamelet. With one simple squeeze I can end her life by bursting her heart. She’s already on the verge of death as you stall.”



“WHAT DO YOU WANT?” Jamelet screamed.



“I want you,” Coby answered.



“No!” Nick blurted, trying to reach for Jamelet, but she wrenched away

from his grasp.



“What do you want from me?” Jamelet questioned.



“Come forward and I’ll release her. She won’t remember a thing. She’ll be fine,” Coby promised, beckoning Jamelet to him.



Jamelet nodded meekly, inching her way forward. “You won’t hurt her?”



“No, I promise that I won’t hurt her.”



“JAMELET!” Nick screamed, rushing forward as Jamelet crossed through the barrier.



Nick reached for her wrist, but slipped. He, Brian, and Kevin crashed into what felt like a brick wall. They fell backward into a pile as Coby grabbed her by the throat. Immediately, he withdrew a large needle and plunged it deep into Jamelet’s throat while Ana continued to hang in the air. Jamelet screamed in agony as the bright red liquid was injected into her vein. She could feel the burning liquid pulsating through her body as she began to shiver in disgust. She reached up to cover the wound as her blood infused with the deadly pathogen. Coby laughed as he pushed her back through the barrier onto the pile of men.



“LET ANA GO! YOU PROMISED!” Jamelet choked, holding her neck.



“I didn’t promise to let her go,” Coby answered, allowing his mind to squeeze tighter against Ana’s heart. Ana began to convulse in the air, causing Jamelet to scream in fear. Nick quickly reached for Jamelet, tugging her into a fierce hug. He tried to console her screams, but Coby’s thick voice filled her mind. Coby laughed as he and Ana began to dissolve into the air. “I just promised that I wouldn’t hurt her, but Terrence made no such promise.”



“HE’S TAKING HER TO TERRENCE!” Jamelet screamed as she struggled to get away from Nick.



“You’re bleeding! You can’t go anywhere!” Kevin exasperated, reaching hold Jamelet still. Nick ripped a piece of his shirt away and held it firmly to where Jamelet had been injected. The guys looked at her worriedly as blood seeped through the small piece of material. “What the Hell did he put into you, Jamelet?”



“We need to get Ana back,” Jamelet hissed, refusing to answer.



“Jamelet—”



“Guys, Howie’s not breathing!” AJ hollered, breaking Jamelet’s interrogation.



“GET HIM INTO THAT ROOM, NOW!” Jamelet ordered, quickly running toward Howie and dismissing her own nausea. She pushed the thoughts of her own death behind her, focusing on Howie’s now blue appearance. The guys hurriedly pulled Howie off the floor and rushed him into the nearby treatment room. Jamelet said a silent prayer as she held her bleeding neck, knowing she had only a few minutes to save that man’s life and then rescue Ana.



*~*~*



Summer continued to bang against the metal door that encaged her, but to no avail. No one had come to her aide. Summer found tears gathering in her eyes as copious amounts of plaster and dust covered her weak body. She feared that she would die without having time to apologize to Jamelet. She knelt down, praying for salvation as a large crack darted across the ceiling.



“I am so sorry!” Summer screamed as she dove under her bed. She listened as the crack opened and a large sheet of plaster fell to the center of the floor. The ground vibrated as the plaster shattered around her. She squeezed her eyes shut as something else tumbled downward. Before she could anticipate anything, something seized her by the neck and tugged her away from the bed. “LOOK! I DIDN’T DO—”



“Summer, it’s me, Galen!” the man hissed, brushing the white powder away from his face. Summer relaxed in his grip, studying him with relief. She reached up to dust away some more white powder, smiling with relief. She reached and hugged the man fiercely. Galen then offered a shaky smile, pointing upward. “Are you ready to leave?”



*~*~*



“You really had to piss her off, didn’t you?” Terrence laughed as he and Coby walked down to the isolated tank located in the basement of Coby’s apartment. It was the same tank that Ana had been locked in when she was a child at CAPPA. Now, she stood in the middle of the tank, screaming thick obscenities at the men. Her hands continually exploded with icicles that dented the tank, but didn’t break it. The air inside the tank was thick with frigid clouds as Ana gathered a large ball of hail in her hands.



“I don’t want to talk about it,” Coby grumbled, staring at Ana through the thick metal containing her. He offered a small smile toward her, waving gently. Ana answered by flicking her middle finger upward before shooting a large icicle toward the mirror. Coby winced, stepping backward. He glared toward his twin brother in anger. “I managed to infect that little wench that turned Ana against me.”



“Jamelet?” Terrence asked with delight.



“Yes,” Coby grunted.



“YOU’RE DEAD! DO YOU HEAR ME? I DON’T CARE IF I DIE, BUT YOU WILL SUFFER! I’M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASSES ALL THE WAY TO MARS AND THEN I’M GOING TO TRAVEL THERE AND RIP YOU INTO TINY PIECES AND SEND YOU TO JAPAN TO BE INCLUDED IN THEIR DISGUSTING SUSHI! DO YOU HEAR ME? DAMNIT! YOU LOUSY MEN! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? YOU’RE TURNING INTO YOUR FATHER! COBY! DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU’RE TURNING INTO YOUR DISGUSTING FATHER WHO ONLY WANTED TO SELL ME TO BE SOME ANTIQUE! DAMNIT, COBY! YOU SAID YOU NEVER WANTED TO BE HIM AND NOW LOOK AT YOU! LOOK WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO BE! HOW IS THIS PROTECTING ME? HUH? HOW DARE YOU?” Ana screamed through the thick tank until her throat became raw and her voice became hoarse.



“I’ve sent down soldiers to infect Summer as we speak,” Terrence replied, ignoring Ana’s raw threats. Instead, he reached for a silver gun assembled with a large portal of green liquid. He then screwed on a tip that resembled a large needle. He flicked to draw the bubbles away from the liquid as it infused.



“Are you planning on shooting her?” Coby questioned, his eyes growing wide with worry.



“Are you that much of an idiot?”



“I saved your ass, so watch your mouth.”



“But that was a foolish question.”



“Terrence—”



“It’s a drug, dear brother. A local anesthetic, basically, and I’ll inject through that portal like a dart. It will paralyze her body, but she’ll still be conscious and feel everything that we do to her. So, that icicle against my throat will be avenged,” Terrence replied, opening a small portal without Ana’s knowing. Carefully, he aimed toward her spine and squeezed the trigger. The dart went flying into Ana’s spine and she slumped to the floor in a matter of minutes. He smiled with triumph, glancing at his brother. “You can also get that bed romp you’ve been wanting from that wench.”



“Can I go in?” Coby requested.



“Fine, but her last breath will be in my hands,” Terrence declared, opening the door

“Termination of Sanity”



**~Dead Man Walking~**



“Ok, oh God. Jamelet we got him breathing normal but he still has a weak pulse.” A.J. whispers gently passing a wet rag over Howie’s sweaty forehead.



Brian gulps, pulling on the thick cotton blanket over Howie’s torso to maintain the warmth. “Howie, buddy. How you feeling now?”



Howie, lying on the cold metal table, gazes up at his friends face with a drawl on his face, “What do you think?” He hisses out, gulping down the ache in his body which reminded him of the pain he’s enduring.



Kevin eyes Jamelet curiously as Nick gently comforts the shaking woman.



“Hey listen, we’ll find Ana. Coby wouldn’t kill Ana, she’s too important. I mean she’s the reason they did all this. If they get rid of Ana now, then there is no purpose for them.” Nick whispers, holding onto Jamelet’s quivering body.



A.J. sighs, “Whatever power he had, he seems to have mine as well. He was able to control Ana and lift her up. Which is something my gifts can do.”



“So you think Coby has all our powers?” Howie quietly whispers out.



Jamelet nods.



“Well that’s comforting to know then.” A.J. responds, taking a seat on a chair next to Howie’s table.



“That was freaky though. You could see her heart!” Brian whispers oddly, watching the others.



“Egh. Talk about power.” Nick mutters, watching Kevin change to the subject at hand.



“Do you know what you were injected with?” Kevin whispers, kneeling besides her, tugging on the now bloody rag wrapped around her neck.



Jamelet remains quiet, her eyes glazed over: staring at the dirty grey wall in front of her.



Nick sighs, “She’ll be ok. Just shaken up right?” He glances at Jamelet before continuing, “We can find Ana, don’t you worry about it.”



Brian watches intensely, heading over to an open lap top. “I have an idea. A.J. come here for a minute.”



A.J. nods, glancing at Howie resting, before joining Brian at the lap top. “What?”



“I know this sounds crazy, but we can break into the security codes and what not if you can get into Coby’s head and find the password.”



A.J. gasps: rapidly shaking his head, “WHAT?! Are you thinking right?!



“He’s right. J, we gotta get into their files and see what Jamelet is injected with along with a map of where all the medical rooms are so we can track down Ana.” Kevin states: pulling the bloody ragged piece of shirt off of Jamelet’s throat.



“No, I’m against that idea. Do you know each time I do that, I grow weaker! You want me to die doing this stupid sh…”



“Whoa, what’s wrong?” Brian utters gently towards Jamelet.



Jamelet gulps, feeling a sharp cold blow zooming down her body. She breathes out, cold mists slowly forming at her lips. Nick watches in confusion, “It’s not cold in this room right?” He whispers softly, placing his hand in front of the cold mist.



“No why?” A.J. asks, watching Howie struggle quietly with his internal emotions.



“Cause she’s breathing out cold air, that’s why.” Nick replies, feeling the others boring eyes on him.



Brian rushes over to Jamelet, staring at her curiously. He takes a hold of her hand as a small spark of fire blazed his finger tips. He pulls his hand away, staring at the tiny burnt marks on his fingers.



“What happened?” Nick mutters, inching close to Jamelet.



“She burned me.” Brian whispers in awe, causing the others to inhale sharply,



“Something’s up with her.” Kevin mentions, seeing her hiccup a small glow into her mouth.



“Yo, you don’t think that shot that Coby gave her is making her body do this?” Nick whispers, getting a dirty look from A.J.



“No, she just naturally glows like that Nick.” A.J. grumbles out sarcastically, the pressure of the corporation getting to him.



Nick ignores his friend’s rudeness as he watches the woman stare at the wall.



Suddenly an idea strikes Brian as the image of the vaccination back at the precinct came to mind. “Gu, guys.” He calls out, gulping nervously, knowing full well why Jamelet never responded to Kevin’s earlier question.



“Hmmm…” Kevin looks up, “What?”



“Remember back at the precinct, the needle full of that red liquid?” Brian whispers, receiving nods from the others.



“Uh yeah B, why? That was the deadly vaccination that…” A.J. stops as the concept seeped into his mind. “Oh no!” He inches closer to the woman: gazing at her quietly.



“It means she’s the one injected.” Brian utters slowly as the tension in the room thickens.

~*~



Beaming, Summer loads up on arsenal as she and Galen inch slowly down the creaky attic hallway. The wooden planks groan in agony as the weight shifted on it. Galen places his finger over his lips, adjusting his gun on the holster. A beam of light shone down the dimly lit hallway, pausing both figures.



“What is that?” Summer cringes, getting behind Galen.



“I got this.” Galen whispers, leisurely pulling his magnum out. “Lock and load Summer…now!”



Summer nods, hurriedly pulling out her pistol with shaking hands. “Uh ok, but you know I never used a gun before right?”



Galen grins, winking at her direction: “Just aim and pull the trigger. Nothing to it.”



Summer nods, gulping: the cold metal slide through her fingers.



“WHO’S OVER THERE!” A voice bellows down the hallway, the heavy footsteps pound on the planks.



Galen inches slowly to the wall, pressing his back to it as he makes his way towards the masked soldier. Summer follows closely behind.



The soldier stands still gazing around in the dimming dark hallway as Galen approaches him. “It’s me.” He whispers, pulling out his CAPPA ID along with a dog tag.



The masked soldier gazes at Galen, snatching the ID for a closer view. “Galen Evers huh? I heard about you. You used to work here for Dr. Sanchez before he was annihilated.”



“Uh yeah, well if you don’t mind, I have business to attend to.” Galen drawls out, eying the fair headed woman behind him.



“What are you doing here?” The soldier questions, noticing Summer. “You can’t take her with you, to wherever you’re heading. She’s under strict orders to not be moved from the isolated room.”



Galen smiles, “I understand that. In fact I’m taking her to the headquarters’ right now. Coby and Terrence have a plan for her and I was advised to bring her to them.”



The soldier narrows his dark eyes, smirking: “On the contrary sir. Coby never requested that order. He’s out of his office at the moment. So I suggest you bring miss Summer back to the room where she will be brought towards Terrence.”



“Ha! Really, you don’t say. Well you’ll have to catch me before that happens!” Summer yells out, pressing the trigger on her pistol.



Galen turns in time to see the bullet pierce the air and rapidly slam into Galen’s upper arm by accident. “AHHHHH!!” he yells out, dropping his own pistol on to the floor.



The solider laughs, grabbing Summer by her shoulders. “Poor thing can’t aim the gun right.”



Galen growls in pain, clasping his hand over his fresh wound. The crimson liquid trickles down on the ground as the soldier begins to drag Summer back down the opposite hall.



Galen gulps down the stinging numbing pain that throbbed down his arm as he snatches Summer away from the soldier.



“That’s my responsibility. Do you hear me? I’m responsible for taking her to Terrence.”



The soldier sneers, releasing his grip on Summer: “Fine you want that blonde wench, take her!” He pushed the small woman onto a wall roughly.



Summer cries out and struggles to fight against the soldier’s strong grip as she was pinned against the wall. Galen lifts his pistol up to the soldier slowly, his arm throbs with each movement.



“Let her go sir before you put your life on the line. There are better things to live for. You don’t have to die like this.” Galen threatens the soldier.



The soldier laughs, restraining Summer on the wall, “Are you kidding me?! You kill me, people will still come after you!”



A round of shots fill the air as the soldier releases his rough grip on Summer. Galen watches in awe as Summer holds her pistol with quivering hands. The soldier stands there unmoved as his crimson blood begins leaking out of his sleeves, from his chest and neck. Summer in shock, stares at the man as he crashes dead on the ground.



Galen drops his mouth open, shaking his head in surprise, “You killed him?!”

~*~



Coby watches Ana slumped over in the tank, quietly slumbering away. He caresses his fingers through her hair, gently whispering sweet words into her ears. “My Ana. Tonight plans have started already. Can you believe your little friend the doctor will help me out in avenging my father’s death. Who would have thought my own enemy would be the one I would rely on. And you, whatever will I do with you? Your heart is against me. I’ve tried everything and you despise with each attempt. But maybe, just maybe I can take the one thing that man will never have. Your innocence.”



Terrence clears his throat, rolling his eyes at the words that breathed out from his brother.



Glaring at him, Coby’s eyes soften at the touch of Ana’s gentle honeysuckle locks. He smiles, running his fingers through her hair ever so gently as she lies quietly in her slumber.



“I’ll leave you two alone.” Terrence murmurs, a smirk scrolled on his face as he exits the door behind him.



Coby strokes her hair gently as he lifts her shirt above her head, gazing intensely at her nude upper torso. She seemed beautiful in every way, it seemed there was no fault could he find on her. It was like an angelic statue constructed to perfection with no ragged edges. Her curves contour through his stroke as he leans down, kissing her tight abdomen. Tracing his fingertips up to the center of her bosoms, he leans down next to her and sighs, shaking his head. “I can’t do this. Not to you. And least when you’re not responding. I need to hear your voice when I touch you.” His hands trail over her lean arms as she shivers unintentionally at his touch. “This is wrong.” He whispers out, sitting up and exiting the tank. He heads out the door only to hear Ana’s voice whisper out something incoherent.



“What was that?” He steps back towards the glass tank.



“Why did you stop?” The words bubbled out of her lips.



Coby swallows, entering the tank, cradling the woman in his arms, “Stop?”



“Yes, don’t stop.”



Coby grins softly, “I have too.”



“Howie don’t leave me here.” She whispers out, her slumbering body lied unmoved.



Growling, Coby drops Ana on the ground. “Damn Howie. I’ll make sure their little doctor kills him shortly. Then Howie won’t be in the way, it will just be you and I. The way it was supposed to be.” And he clothes her upper torso again, before leaving the tank to avenge for his lost love.

~**~



**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 24 - Fearless



“What the Hell do you think you’re doing?” Terrence roared when Coby exited the tank without any sexual encounter with Ana achieved. Coby muttered something incoherently, brushing his shoulder roughly against Terrence’s shoulder as he tried to pass. Terrence’s gray eyes glared coldly toward his twin, obviously displeased with Ana’s unharmed body lying in the middle of the large metal tank.. He had assumed that Coby would release his sexual frustrations with the paralyzed Ana and then Terrence would be free to dispose of her body in any way he deemed fit. “Coby! Don’t you dare leave me without speaking.”



“Terrence, for once don’t try to psychoanalyze me. I may be the younger twin, but I am not the weakest.”



“I will let that snide remark slide for the time being.”



“I don’t really give a rat’s ass, Terrence!”



“Why are you so hostile? Did she not scream with pleasure?”



“Terrence, I have business to take care of!”



“What business?”



“I had her just where I wanted her. I had her beautiful body in my arms… And she whispers for that bastard Howie. She must be delusional, but I don’t care. I’m going to kill the bastard, sever his head from his body, and bring the head back on a platter for Ana to view,” Coby growled, allowing his hands to shoot a brightly colored ball of flame against the wall, blowing a hole deep into the material.



“You have to go back in there and relieve yourself of whatever you want! Ana’s body will only remained paralyzed for a few more hours! We don’t have time for you to chase the Lover in hopes to kill him!”



“I’m not hoping to kill him, Terrence. I WILL kill him!”



“He doesn’t matter, we have Jamelet injected, and now we need to finish Ana--”



“BULLSHIT!” Coby roared, sending a powerful bought of winds against his twin,

causing Terrence’s body to slam against the nearby wall. Coby’s eyes were black with hate. “I am going to take care of Howie first. Do you hear me? I’m going to kill him. He is of utmost importance before we can finish anything with Ana. I need to know that I have her heart.”



“Coby-”



“Don’t you dare touch her! Do you hear me? I will kill you myself, so help me God, Terrence, if I find that you touched her. There will be severe consequences to pay,” Coby growled, pulling open the door leading to the many corridors. He stalked out, slamming the door behind him.



“I don’t fear you like Father did,” Terrence replied curtly when the echo diminished. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a switchblade. He was not waiting for Coby’s foolishness. He wanted things to be done quickly so he would have the chance to reap full benefits of Ana’s paralyzed state. He would give himself the pleasure of releasing both his sexual frustrations and his twin’s sexual frustration. Then he would torture Ana until she pleaded for death. And then, maybe, he would allow her wish to be granted.



*~*~*



“Where’s Ana?” Howie replied for what seemed like the millionth time. Yet, no one wanted to answer his question, knowing that it would devastate him Instead, the boys huddled around Jamelet in hopes to distract Howie from the obvious problem. Even though they were utterly worried about Ana’s condition, they couldn’t help but be amazed at the recent developments in Jamelet’s nature. They were all amazed to see bits and pieces of their powers explode from Jamelet’s nimble hands.



“Howie! Look!” Nick called, trying to distract him. Nick smiled with pride as he nudged Jamelet’s shoulder softly. Jamelet smirked as she shot small balls of electricity into the air. They popped and crackled in the air, sparking like fireworks.



“That’s great, Jam, but why isn’t Ana in here?” Howie objected, not wanting to be swayed.



“Howie, wait, Jam can do water-”



“Nick, I’m fascinated that Jam is developing powers, but I need to know where Ana is,” Howie stressed, bracing his stomach with his hands as he carefully propped himself up. Ana was nowhere to be found. He found himself utterly worried at what that could possibly mean. He had fought with his entire being to stay with Ana, but she was gone yet again. He needed answers immediately and wouldn’t be swayed. The group noticed his determination and sighed heavily. Howie’s stomach knotted as the group faced him with tense facial features.



“The truth?” Jamelet asked, the fire dying from her fingertips.



“Of course I want the truth,” Howie replied carefully, feeling the pain double in his chest.



“When we were fighting the guards, Coby managed to slip in unannounced. AJ and Kevin were taking care of you when something came over Ana. Coby had managed to pull Ana along the ceiling while controlling the beat of her heart. He made me relinquish myself to the needle in hopes to get Ana back, but he vanished with her. We were going to follow, but you collapsed soon after. The guys insist that he’s not doing anything bad, but I need to go out and find her. But I can’t find her until I figure out how to work these powers,” Jamelet explained quietly.



“He took her again?” Howie asked, feeling his chest tighten with despair. The pain seemed to accumulate dramatically with the realization of Ana’s fate. He couldn’t believe that Ana had yet again slipped from his fingers. He began to hate himself, knowing that if he would have been well, then he could have protected her.



“We’re going to get her back,” Kevin assured.



“What if he’s hurting her right now?” Howie groaned angrily, feeling terrible electricity burning at his flesh. He assumed that it was a mild symptom from the extensive torture he had endured. He closed his eyes, preparing for the pain to attack. Yet, his body was washed over with a sense of calm. The tingling sensation kneaded his bruised, bleeding, and battered body. He peeked his eyes open to see the group staring at him in absolute shock.



“Howie… You’re glowing!” Brian grunted in surprise.



Howie looked down to see his arms radiating in a deep golden yellow color. The rays of light seemed to energize his body as he watched the wounds slowly diminish into his flesh. The menacing words that had marked his frostbitten chest flaked off as his skin began to glow a brighter yellow. His body warmed dramatically as the light rays blinded the rest of the group. He smiled in relief as the all the pain was drained away from his tender body and his energy level tripled.



“You healed yourself…” Kevin murmured.



"Are you sure that's what happened?" Nick asked in surprise.



"I feel perfectly fine," Howie insisted, revealing his rejuvenated skin. Not a blemish nor scar remained. No words of hate scrawled across his chest. He was in the perfect condition, if not better.



"Wait, where are you going?" Brian accused, watching Howie saunter toward the door. "You were a practically dead man! You stopped breathing! You were dead! And now you're just going to go galavanting about with a man that probably wants to spill your blood on every floor? Are you nuts? How do you know if you can physically handle that?!"



“Because I love Ana and I'm I’m going to save her,” Howie replied, shrugging his shoulders as if it were nothing.



“Then I’m going with you,” Jamelet blurted.



“Wait! You can’t go anywhere yet!” AJ grunted, slamming a heavy file on the table. He had sent his mind propelling through several files amongst the downstairs rooms. He had located the specific file on the special agent Jamelet had been injected with. When he had connected with the file, he focused on the image until it appeared in his hands. AJ’s face was taunt with gravity as he shuffled through the papers. “Jam, this isn’t good. That blood they injected you with… It’s dangerous stuff. What happened to you was a bizarre side effect, but the worst part is, you’ll die in seventy-two hours if we don’t find the antidote.”
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**

“Termination of Sanity”

**~Confined Escape~**

The metal doors slide open allowing entrance into the confines of where Ana was held. She snaps open her light eyes, slowly and painfully seeing Terrence enter the room.

“Well you’re up. Nice to see you can witness your friend’s demise now.” Terrence raptures out: a coy smile appearing on his lips.

Ana groans out painfully as her eyes and body adjust to awakening up. Slowly, she stretches out her stiff back, her hands over her head. She places her palms on the glass containment she’s in as she stands up glaring at the man in the room.

“You should be glad to see me.” He hisses out, his grey eyes glimmering excitingly.

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Ana hisses out, slamming her hands on the glass.

Terrence smirks and swings his switchblade before her. “Why don’t you be a good girl and go back to sleep?”

“I’m not tired.” She whispers vehemently through clenched teeth. Her tussled golden locks lie in disarray yet to Terrence she looked absolutely amazing.

“I have a plan for you and you can’t be awake for it. So go back to sleep like you’re suppose to.” Terrence whispers softly, inching his way towards the closed glass containment.

“How about not? In fact, you know what. Since I’m awake, you should just let me out, after all I’m of no use to you awake.” Ana whispers out gently, hoping to distract the young man.

“Ahhh, you’re right on that account my lady, hence that is the reason for my visitation. You see my brother wasn’t man enough to take your body. But oh Ana! I’m willing to make sure my brother’s task gets done.” His lustful grey eyes pierce at her gently.

Ana growls and forms a fist, slamming the glass. With all her strength, she breaks the glass pane door surprising Terrence. Shattering the fragments of glass shards outward, Terrence hisses out and backs away but not before Ana grabbed his throat. She breathes out roughly, her light eyes taking on a cold steel blue. Her hands grip around his throat tightly, ignoring the bloody wounds and cuts coming from her arms from the broken glass. Terrence watches in utter shock, gazing at the blood trails oozing down Ana’s cheeks and arms.

Without a second thought, Terrence slams his blade into her ribs immediately astounding a raging Ana. Ana gasps and still holding onto his throat, she eyes the new wound, the blade now protruding out of her stomach. Gasping weakly, she tried to conjure up her powers but to her utter disappointment nothing was happening. “What? What’s going on?” She gasps out, her eyes widen.

Terrence laughs and yanks out his blade, feeling Ana’s hands slide off his throat and onto her wound. “Coby managed to maintain your powers sterile after you were knocked out. You’ll be helpless for the next hour or so until your little troubling gifts make an appearance once again.”

Ana growls, her eyes narrowing in disgust. “That’s why you’re so cocky now. Cause I can’t hurt you at the moment. That doesn’t mean I can’t fight you the old fashion way.”

“Please, don’t make me laugh.” Terrence grins, slamming Ana on the glass wall behind her. “My brother was supposed have sex with you. That way he can have the one thing that your little Howie can never have: your virginity.” He rasps out.

She narrows her eyes and tries to push him away, but her body was still weak and the new found pain flooded through her system, her blood bathing the ground below her. She growls out and tries to fight him away but he was stronger than he looked. He pressed his body on hers as Ana cries out, tears flooding her eyes. “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!” She screams out, trying and failing to punch him.

Terrence smirks and slides his switchblade beneath her shirt. “Quiet now. Howie might hear us.”

Ana struggles and manages to push him away before bolting towards the door. She didn’t get far before she was tripped and slammed head first on the metal tiles. Moaning in agony, she crawls slowly, her tears streaming down her pale shaking cheeks. Her crimson blood stained the tiles as she lies on the ground, her wounded arms dragging the rest of her body towards the exit of the room. She stops when she touches the tip of a pair of black boots in front of her. Gazing gently, she lifts her head off the floor to see Terrence looking at her. “Where do you think you’re going?” He murmurs, lifting her up by her bloody arms. She cries as Terrence drags her towards the glass container that held her before hand. “We’re not done yet. Not by a long shot.” He whispers into her ear, his laughter sending chills down her back as he grins at her sudden weakness.
~*~

The tension in the room intensified after A.J. stated the new data.

“Sev…Seventy two hours.” Nick croaks out nervously as all eyes landed on Jamelet.

“We have time. I can find the cure of this before something happens.” Jamelet whispers out softly, the guilt flooding her system.

“A cure? A freaking cure? How? We lost in huge place and Ana is caught. Jamelet you’re dying! I can’t have that happen!” Nick whispers out in alarm, feeling a gentle pat from A.J.

“Nick man, it’ll be aight. We can do this.” A.J. whispers as Kevin paces around the room.

Howie gazing guilty at Jamelet, shakes his head. “Lo siento mucho. I didn’t know. I wanna help Ana, but I can’t have you die either. You mean too much to Ana, to all of us.” He whispers out, fingering the door knob.

Smiling, Jamelet nods her head and to her surprise received an embrace from Howie. “We can do this. You’ll live and Ana will be with me. After all Nick will never talk to me again.” He whispers out playfully, pulling away from her as he heads to the door and opens it.

Kevin chuckles and helps Jamelet off the chair as they make their way towards the exit of the room. Brian smiles and holds onto her other hand, winking at her. “We’d rather risk our lives than to have you endanger. Don’t ya worry, you’ll be back and bouncing around so you can entertain Nick, cause the hell we’ll have watching him if anything happens to you.”

“I’m pretty lucky to have some good friends like ya.” Jamelet giggles, gulping down the sickening feeling that was slowly rising in her chest.
~*~

He peers out of the corner of the vacant hallway, his heart drumming rapidly at the mere thought of the destruction of Howie. He smiles, fingering his magnum tucked on the holster waiting for some action. He waits quietly as the retreating figures of the group emerging and exiting a room, walking down the opposite hallway. Coby snickers to himself, pulling his pistol out, aiming at the man in the front of the retreating group. “Howie, it was nice knowing you.” He whispers out, pulling on the trigger.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Once And For All


Terrence felt no compassion toward the broken woman in his arms. Instead, he could only think of the good times ahead for his own aching body. He would do what his brother could not. He would take the prized gift of marriage from the weakened woman, and then take the precious gift of mortality. He would listen to her screams of agony drown into the knowing whimpers for freedom, but he would not deliver. For so long he had listened to his brother complain about the bewitchment she caused, but there was no excuse for weakness even at the hands of a powerful siren. She may have been different from the others, but she was still a woman with an evil heart. Terrence had to execute the woman and splatter her blood to spare his brother from Hell.



With added strength, he threw her body onto the metal ground covered with shards of glass and slammed the glass door behind him. The containment room rattled as the remaining shards of glass fell from the wall, smashing upon the metal ground like a sharp rainfall. Terrence seemed preoccupied with his victory however, just smiling at the damage he created. He thoroughly enjoyed watching Ana tumbled like a barrel through the broken glass, her pale flesh ripping beneath the sharp slivers.



However, the adrenaline of victory died quick when she offered no thrill to the abuse. She spoke not a word of pain as she huddled into a ball on the floor. She held onto the flowing wound just beneath her ribcage as she maintained a steady breathing pattern, trying not to focus upon the pain as she formulated a plan. She decided to let Terrence destroy his own plans with his egotistical arrogance. She allowed Terrence to take the upper hand and think he held power. Yet, she was biding her time, calculating her moves.



She had planned to take up arms against him in a purely physical fight, knowing that her powers were hidden within a complex system of drugs. She had practiced with and without her powers long enough to know that her body was much stronger than anyone could have anticipated. She was a force not to be reckoned with when it came to defense. She took up martial arts while locked away in the cells beneath CAPPA, so she could easily disarm Terrence and slip away to her friends.



“Are you scared, Ana?” Terrence started, crouching down to her broken state. He quickly flicked out his switchblade, gently running it through her bloody flaxen locks. He was finding no joy in her stoic features, so he decided to instigate.



“I’ve been through worse,” Ana replied easily, swallowing a mouthful of blood.



“Well, let me assure you that this is nothing,” Terrence quickly confided, leaning down to trace his tongue along the length of her graceful neck. She cringed instantly, reaching to slam her fist against his jaw, but he quickly caught the switchblade just beneath her chin. Ana took a sharp breath of surprise, feeling the cold steel bite into the tender flesh of her throat. “Ah-ah-ah, little Ice Princess. This is my time to play, not yours.”



“Oh, please forgive me,” she whispered hatefully.



“In time I might be able to…” Terrence approved, allowing his free hand to roam her body for just a moment. He smiled ruefully as she reflexively flinched at his powerful hand. “You will enjoy this, Ice Princess. I am an influential man with an overpowering lust for you. And, I’m also quite generous.”



Ana snorted with amusement at his last statement, gasping slightly when he increased the pressure of the blade. She swallowed her vile words, knowing he was close to snapping. Terrence glared darkly upon the young woman, continuing with his speech, “I will give you the chance to enjoy what I have to offer before I leave you in the hands of death. Remember, this will be your final act upon earth. You mine as well enjoy it, because Howie will forget you in the end. He will find an older woman that can pleasure him beyond any trivial girl-like infatuation you give him. To think your death will go in vain for the price of a one way love, Ice Princess.”



“Don’t you even think of letting Howie’s beautiful name fall from your serpent tongue,” Ana suddenly flared, feeling the familiar tingle of coldness slowly work throughout her system. She realized that the hour had quickly passed with Terrence’s torture, giving her a chance at escape. She eagerly flexed her prickling fingers, working the bitter cold ice into her veins. She just needed one good burst of ice from her palms to bite into his flesh, and then she could escape to her loved ones.



“Serpent tongue?” Terrence laughed, leaning down to her body. He started beneath her bare collarbone, eagerly flicking his snake-like tongue at her skin as he traveled up the length of her body. “I like the sound of that.”



“And do you know what my favorite sound is?” Ana breathed softly against his ear. She let him feed upon his lust as she settled her hand against she joint of his shoulder. She felt a stronger flicker of coldness settle over her body, proving that she indeed was the Ice Princess. Her skin paled dramatically at the sudden drop in body temperature with her blue-green eyes started to spark with the familiar glow of white snow.



“What’s that?” he moaned against her skin, savoring the bittersweet cold, never noticing her hand glow a brilliant blue against his shoulder.



“The sound of ice tearing through flesh.”



*~*~*



“Howie! Wait a second!” Nick barked as the group filtered into the hallway. The youngest man suddenly became in charge for that moment, wanting to draw Howie close to the group. They couldn’t afford to loose another while suffering in a state of panic. They still were unable to make straight plans of where to go. Usually, they would do their best to escape this Hell, but Ana was missing and Jamelet was dying. They needed an antidote and someone needed to find Ana before it was too late.
“I need to find Ana!” Howie called back, fidgeting. Every small moment that ticked by brought Ana closer to her deathbed. Terrence and Coby were ready to dominate and control every single morsel of her body, but she would never commit. So, they would end with the final decision of murdering her. Howie couldn’t possibly let that happen. Not now. Not ever.



“Just, please, hold on! We’ve got to get some plans going…” Nick called, ducking back into the hallway to see Brian and Kevin easing their arms around Jamelet to support her body. Since demonstrating her newly acquired powers, she had weakened dramatically. The bizarre twist of powerful gifts drained every last bit of her energy, making Nick’s heart bleed. He gently bent down to her height, offering a kiss to her cheek. “How you doing, Jam?”



“Just tired,” she whispered, reaching to affectionately run her hand against his cheek. She never thought she could feel such a strong attraction to the doofy blonde she remembered being held captive at her father’s company. Yet, there she stood, feeling a fond affection for him. She reached out to gently brush her lips against his, causing AJ to coo.



“As cute as this is, we do need a plan,” Kevin interrupted with the clearing of his throat. He glanced down the hallway to see Howie nervously looking down the hallway, waiting for someone to tell him the plans. “Some of us have to look for the antidote and others have to look for—”



“ANA!” Jamelet suddenly screamed, breaking free from the boys’ grasps. She wilted to the floor as pictures flooded her mind. She saw Ana trapped within the depths of a glass container, another flash with Ana laying upon the floor bleeding, another flash of a blade to her throat, and then the final flash of Ana rushing through the halls in search of something and a shadow lurking close behind. “She’s being chased! Ana!”



*~*~*



Ana turned in shock when she heard Jamelet’s scream echoing down the metal hallways, actually rising above Terrence’s thick curses. She sent a prayer to God for hearing Jamelet’s cries, immediately rushing toward the source. The adrenaline coursing through her body added extra fuel to her newly engaging strength. Her body continued to drop in temperature as the ice regained full power. She felt a rush of excitement as she winded down the next hall, realizing she would soon be back in Howie’s arms.



Joyous thoughts of the budding romance formed in her head till she entered the familiar hallway, her eyes immediately falling upon Howie’s skittish form. Her body relaxed completely at the sight of his handsome face as she started to call to him, “Howie—”



She stopped halfway when she noticed the glint of a gun appear from the corner, aiming directly at Howie’s form. Jamelet seemed to pick up on her thoughts as the group turned to look upon Howie. Without thought, Jamelet rushed over and tackled Howie to the floor as the gunshot pierced the air, nicking Howie across the shoulder.



Ana had no time to concern over Howie’s fresh wound as she rushed upon the shadow with a fury of anger. She had to fight for them first before she could contemplate over Howie’s injuries. So, she tossed several large icicles from her palms toward the shadow, hearing it howl as one connected sharply. The shadow stumbled forward as the gun flew across the floor. Ana’s eyes immediately narrowed as she tossed the sharpest icicle just beside the man’s form, inching from his head. “You are such a son of a bitch, Coby. You’d punk out and try to kill Howie with a bullet instead of using your powers like a real man? I’m shocked!”



“YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HIS!” Coby screamed out in utter stress, holding his aching chest from the blunt connection with Ana’s thick icicle. He stumbled in vain attempts to reach Ana, his eyes blazing with hatred as Ana’s eyes flickered toward the man cowering on the floor with a bullet wound across his shoulder. Coby thrust his arm out toward Howie, immediately lifting his body into the air. “I’LL KILL HIM, ANA!”



“Don’t be stupid,” Ana quickly commanded without fear, noticing the force field of boiling energy flickering around Howie’s levitating body. Howie grunted as the heat started to rise within the bubble, but he struggled to be free and reach Ana. He didn’t realize that Coby was planning on burning the flesh from his body.



“I’d say the same to you,” Coby commanded, his eyes flicking for a moment behind her. Ana felt a bubble of worry as she slowly turned to follow Coby’s gaze. She stepped back, hearing Terrence offer a powerfully angry cry of disgust. He had retrieved the fallen magnum, preparing to bash Ana’s skull with the blunt object. He rushed toward her with a fever pace, the magnum raised above his head. He left shoulder gushed with precious blood from Ana’s first attack, but he seemed to channel all the pain into attacking Ana. The wild fury in his eyes made the boys paralyze with fear, realizing Ana had to save herself.



“ANA!” Jamelet screamed, sending a sharp bolt of electricity just beyond Ana’s body. The strong bolt penetrated through the air, connecting heatedly with Terrence’s chest. He jerked back and collapsed against the wall. The energy completely spent in Jamelet’s body, she collapsed to the ground, heaving ragged breaths.



Ana silently thanked Jamelet for extra time, immediately sending two powerful icicles into Terrence’s shoulders to keep him pinned. He howled in agony, struggling to grasp at the bloody icicles. But, the icicles kept tightly pinned to the metal wall as blood leaked throughout them, offering a prism of reds against the nearby walls. Ana didn’t seem to care as she turned to stare into Coby’s eyes. “Put Howie down, Coby. Your fight isn’t with him. It’s with me. I’m the one that turned you down. And, I swear to God if you hurt him, I’ll kill your brother.”



“You’re my little girl, Ana,” Coby whispered with a threatening tone, keeping Howie suspended.



“Put him down, Coby,” Ana ordered, showing him the next icicle poking from her palm.



“Ana—”



Ana interrupted Coby’s plea when she released the icicle, sending it directly into the middle of Terrence’s thigh. Blood gushed from the large wound as Terrence writhed in agony upon the wall. Her eyes burned with the brilliance of her white irises, threatening Coby to make another false move. “He’s dying, Coby. And he deserves it.”



“He doesn’t—”



“He tried to rape me,” Ana voiced coldly, mists of icy breath coiling around each word that she spoke. Her skin had turned into a pale blue from the depths of icy temperatures floating amongst her circulatory system. She finally stood with the power of her true nature, daring Coby to cross the point of no return. She held her hand toward Terrence’s screaming form. “Put Howie down, now!”



“Do what she says, Coby!” Kevin barked from his stance with the other three boys, carefully moving to retrieve Jamelet’s weakened body.



“DON’T!” Terrence screamed. “DON’T DO WHAT THE BITCH SAYS! KILL HER! KILL HER NOW, COBY! DO IT FOR FATHER!”



The word ‘father’ seemed to send Coby into a pensive state of thought, giving Howie a chance to escape. He bore against the pain radiating from his burning flesh, holding his hands down toward Coby. With a shot of energy, he sent two exploding balls of electricity to Coby’s feet. They exploded with great power, breaking Coby’s hold on Howie. Coby propelled back into the wall with a heavy flood as Howie’s body crashed into his friends.



“DAMNIT TO HELL, COBY!” Terrence screamed, noting his brother was knocked unconscious.



“No, damn you to Hell,” Ana hissed, completing what she had been yearning to do since laying eyes upon the evil man. She stepped toward him and sent several icicles into his chest. His high-pitched screams pierced the night, but Ana never flinched. She stepped toward him and laid her freezing hands upon his face, allowing the frost bite to sweep over his body, rapidly decaying his rotting flesh with an icy frost lingering in the air.
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**

“Termination of Sanity”

**~Tempting Gift~**

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Coby hisses out, struggling to stand up to see his brother’s frost bitten corpse hang limply on the icicles thrown at him. “You little whore…you killed my brother.”

Ana turns back to him, a smug look on her face as Terrence’s bloody torn corpse slowly slides down against the cold metal walls. “I think I must have heard wrong. Did you just call me a whore?”

Howie hisses out in pain as he struggles to stand up among his friends. Gasping for air, he stumbles over to Ana heaving, glaring at Coby.

“Too bad you lost. Tell me how it feels in Hell.” Brian mutters, walking over to Coby who was kneeling on the corner of the hallway.

Coby places his hands on the metal tiles when he begins breaking into a haunting laughter. Brian stops inches from the man, gazing at the others in confusion.

“What’s so funny?” Howie growls out: gently touching Ana on her shoulder. Smiling, she buries her head on his neck as she feels his strong arms embrace her tightly.

Jamelet moans out in pain as Nick and Kevin led her to Ana. “You’re ok. Oh God look at you, you’re all hurt and bleeding.” She whispers out, caressing Ana’s smeared bloody cheek.

Lifting her head from Howie’s shoulder: Ana gulp and walks over to her friend. “I could hear you from here from where I was. What’s going on?”

Jamelet sighs, “We’re ok. You? I had these visions, flashes rather of you of what happened. I’m sorry…” She breathes out, feeling Nick’s arm support her.

“You saw me?” Ana inches closer to her friend: brushing back a lock of dark strand behind Jamelet’s ear.

Jamelet nods, “Yeah…I, I’m injected Ana.”

“With what?” Ana whispers out nervously, giving a quick glare to the wounded Coby watching them all.

“I’m injected with that red liquid back in the precinct. I’m dying Ana.” Jamelet whispers out, breathing out a cold mist from her lips.

Ana leans near her friend, amazed at the coldness coming from the woman’s body. “What did he do to you?”

“I, I’m not sure. I seem to possess all of your powers. But I’m not really feeling so well right now.” Jamelet murmurs, clutching her stomach as she leans into Nick’s arm.

Ana gulps, turning back to see Coby smiling, gazing at her strangely: “You insolent little hoe. You have no idea what I just did.” Coby stands up, vanishing into thin air, disappearing before them as his laughter echoes in the atmosphere.

Ana screams out, “Yeah run away you bastard! You know you can’t stop me from finding you. You can run but you can’t hide forever!”

Kevin slams his fist on the wall, cursing under his breath. “That’s it. We have to find a medication, a cure. We can’t have her dying on us.”

“We, we can find something to help her…but I’ll need to know exactly what she is injected with.” Ana whispers out.

“That’s the thing. We don’t really know the name of it.” Brian quietly states, sighing as he helps Jamelet remain erect vertically.

“Ok…God…we can do this.” Ana whispers out, pacing around.

Howie sighs, “I say we start thinking of a plan as we walk out of here. Now can we move before more soldiers meet us here?”

A.J. nods: “Yeah, let’s the hell out of here.” He helps Jamelet walk as she struggles and plops into his arms passed out.

A.J. gasps as the others surround him, gazing at the woman.

“She, she went out.” He whispers out quietly in shock as Ana takes her pulse.

“She’s breathing just fine. I don’t know what could have happened. But whatever that vaccination did to her, its killing her fast. From what I heard this is gonna change her before it takes over her.” Ana rambles out, fearing for her friend’s life. Kneeling down, she sniffs and passes a hand over the doctor’s hand.

“Change her in a bad way?” Nick whispers out.

Brian nods, “Yeah remember back at the precinct Nick what Terrence told us when he had Howie?”

Nick gulps, slowly recalling the events. “Oh God yeah. But I mean she wouldn’t turn against us right? She’ll know us wouldn’t she?”

Brian breaths slowly, “Guys, lets start walking. We’ll have to come up with something.”

They begin to stand and slowly make their way down the quiet metal hallway as the only sound protruding was their soft breathing and footsteps. Nick gently places his arms underneath the doctor’s body, carrying her so that she was lying on his arms. Ana gazes at them and smiles, only hoping she can save her friend before it was too late.

Jamelet moans out and snaps open her eyes as she breaths out heavily suddenly. Nick jolts to a stop as the others turn to them to see Jamelet holding her head dizzily.

“Put me down.” Jamelet whispers out.

“You sure? You look like you’ll pass out again.” Nick states, still holding the woman in his arms.

Jamelet glares at him and snaps her hand around his neck, a painful ice cold feeling stabbed him as he gasps out, struggling to breath.

“Jamelet! Stop it! What the hell are you doing?!” A.J. growls out, yanking her ice cold hand away from his friend’s neck.

Nick gasps and drops her on the floor roughly as he touches his neck, struggling to breath. He drops to his knees, the ice cold feeling stabbing him inside his chest and throat like miniature icicles prodding his raw throat. He gags and tries to inhale deeply, the sharp fresh air invading his body once again.

Jamelet sits up from the ground and smiles, standing up to see all of them gazing at her in confusion. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Kevin glances over at Ana and shakes his head: “I don’t think we should take her with us.”

“What? Are you kidding me? We can’t leave her here. We’re in this together, we all have to get out.” Ana demands, reaching to touch Jamelet’s hand but sees a sharp flame emerge from it and jumps on her hair.

Gasping in shock, she pats her golden locks as the flames rather instead of going off, initiate and grow stronger covering her flaxen curls in a burning crown. Ana yelps out in pain as pain as the flames spread around her hair, setting an orange glow in her hair. She desperately pats the flames down but to no avail as she sends a glare over to Jamelet.

Howie rushes over to Ana, helping to aid in the elimination of the growing fire.

A.J. looks around and finds a fire extinguisher locked in a glass pane off the shadows in the hallway. Using his mind, he gazes at the glass box that held the instrument watching it as it breaks and shatters, the extinguisher falling out along with it as well. Brian grabs the item and quickly turns it on, spraying it over Ana head to take out the fire as Nick gazes back at Jamelet who seemed curled into a ball, giggling gently. Nick crawls over to Jamelet, staring at her in confusion.

Choking out, he gingerly rubs his throat, gazing at her. “How, how could you attack me?”

Jamelet sits up and smiles, her light eyes sparkling in excitement. “Not sure. It looked like fun though.”

Howie fans off the smoke emerging from Ana’s hair as he gazes at Jamelet: “You could have injured them doing that!”

“My bat.” Jamelet smirks, shrugging her shoulders, slowly standing up as her eyes glowed a faint red then back to normal color.

“My bat? Is that all you had to have to say for what you did? What the f…” A.J. was cut off at the sound of the ground trembling violently beneath them all.

Brian and Kevin tumble to the wall and fall on the ground as A.J. and Howie along with Ana tumble to the other side while Nick and Jamelet topple over across from Ana. The ground continues to shake horribly until a small crack in the center of the metal tiles begins cracking, the floor slowly separating into two sections. The gap in the floor grew a short distance, wide enough for a person to easily fall into it if not careful. The ground quiets down, the shaking stops as some of the tiles cracked and lied broken, scattered across both sides of the hole.

A.J. sighs, crawling to the hole, peering into the dark abyss, looking up at Jamelet. “Did you do this?”

“Me? Why do you ask?” She growls out, her hands curl into small fists on her side.

Nick slowly stands up, gazing at her. “What’s going on with you?”

“Me? My, it seems I’m the topic of today’s conversation. How about this…if I had anything to do with that, don’t you think I would have you guys thrown into that hole? I mean I wouldn’t waste my time opening a hole with no use now do you?” Jamelet smirks, placing her hands on her waist, eyeing the others menacingly.

“It’s, it’s changing her already…We have to leave her here!” Brian gulps out.

“NO!” Nick and Ana shout in unison.

“Excuse me? She just tried choking Nick and setting Ana on fire, doesn’t that mean something to you?” A.J. growls out, “We knew something like this would happen, it was told to us. I don’t see why this is catching you all in surprise.” A.J. states: gathering him self off the ground, shakily walking over to where Nick was gingerly rubbing his sore throat.

Howie sighs, gazing at Ana who seems mildly amused at the small smoke rising off her blonde tendrils. “Ana honey listen. As much as I hate to say this, I agree with A.J. He has a point.”

“What? No, all this time and I finally found all you guys, I’m not leaving the one person that took me in!” Ana protested meticulously, flailing her arms over her head to prove her point.

Brian gulps, “She’ll be ok without us. But Terrence and Coby had it planned for her for the longest. The only thing we can do is find an antidote for it as soon as possible. If we take her with us, she’ll only delay us, plus after that little event she just did, we run the risk of her doing something worse to us the next time.”

Jamelet growls, narrowing her eyes: “I can’t believe this! You’re gonna leave me to rot while you all go off and leave this place! I don’t think so! If I can’t get out, then none of you are leaving!” And with that, she runs down the opposite hallway from which they came from, disappearing from their sight.

Nick gulps painfully, sucking his teeth at his friend, “Way a go man. Now we’re missing a person and she’s pissed with us.”

“So? She tried to kill you and Ana! We can’t run the risk of her going all insane on us while we trying to get out of here.” Brian states.

Howie allows Ana to lean her gentle head on his shoulder as she shivers from her cold, sighing.

“So what now?” A.J. raises his eyebrows.

“We can walk down this hallway, Ana knows the area a little bit. We’ll be safe.” Howie whispers out, pointing down the opposite hallway Jamelet had sped off to.

“Question, if we bump into doctor gone psycho Jamelet, what should we do? Cause our powers can kill her if we’re not careful.” A.J. asks as Nick leans over the hole in the ground, gazing at it strangely.

“Try not to use them. That’s all.” Kevin sighs, walking down as Nick remains still, his eyes focused on the hole in the ground.

“Yo come on Nick.” A.J. shouts back to the fair headed man as Nick nods and begins to walk. Suddenly a hand from the gap grasps his ankles causing him to fall forward to the ground painfully. His chest slams to the floor brutally as he tries to kick and crawl away from being pulled into the hole.

“AHHHHHH. Owwww.” Nick begins a string of curses as he feels both of his ankles being pulled to the hole.

The others rush over to him, each grabbing an arm or leg as Ana tries to swat off the small pale hand that gripped Nick’s ankle.

“Who is pulling him?!” Howie shouts.

Ana looks down the hole, shaking her head: “I don’t know! I can’t see anything in the hole!”

Nick begins to glow a faint orange as his temperature begins to rise to a scorching amount. The others back away as Nick tries to change himself into fire. But as he was slowly changing into the raging flame, the pale feminine hands that held his ankles, yanks at Nick’s legs so hard that Nick topples into the hole as he coughs out smoke, disappearing from all their view.

Ana gasps, gazing into the hole as the others slowly inch their way over to see as well. But nothing could be seen but a hole of blackness. No form of person or sign of Nick was present. As for the hands that appeared in the hole, that too disappeared, sliding back into the darkness from where it came from.

“What…what the hell just happened?” A.J. gasps out, kneeling into the hole.

“Nick! Nick!” Brian yells into the hole, hoping his friend could answer but no response but the dark void before him.

Ana gulps, kneeling down as she stares into the hole. “He just disappeared…” She murmurs out in shock.

Kevin shakes his head, “No…no! NO! He can’t just disappeared! Who pulled him in there? What the hell is going on?”

“We can’t freak out. Let’s, let’s just go ok. Nick will be ok.” Ana whispers, steadily standing up with the help of Howie as they begin to walk down the hallway.

Kevin gasps, breathing deeply, his eyes focused on the hole. “He…he can’t just vanish into thin air. I wanna know what happened to him!”

“And we’ll find him Kev. But please, let’s move…ok? Nick will be ok I know it. They’re probably just trying to separate us again to get to us. But we’ll be ok. Nick will be fine. They want all of us not just one of us.” Brian persuades his cousin as they walk back to join Howie and Ana.

A.J. slowly gets up and follows behind the others still dazed about what just occurred. ‘Don’t worry buddy. We’ll find ya.’ He vows under his breath, walking down the silent metallic hallway.
~*~

“It has already begun.” Coby smiles, settling back in his office chair, a smile spanning his handsome cheeks.

“Sir, do you think relying on that doctor will pose a threat? What if she has a change in heart and turns against us?” The attractive short red haired woman growls out, fixing the gun strap that held her rifle tugged in it carefully.

Coby sits up in the chair and smirks: “She won’t. The medication is already working in her system. I want her to suffer as much as she made us. The next few hours will be agonizing for her as her body tries to adjust to the powers.”

“Don’t you think she’ll lash out at us when she sees us?” The woman bubbles out, sauntering over to him with a glitter in her emerald eyes.

“No. She’ll know better.” He smirks, gazing at the surveillance camera in his room that showed a flushed woman, Jamelet, running down some vacant hallways as she breaks into a laughter for no particular reason.

“Dynasty, I trust you can track down the woman correct?” Coby gazes at her, his grey eyes twinkling in delight at the thought of seeing his own creation of medicine work within his enemy’s body.

Dynasty smiles and nods: “Not a problem. I’ll bring her here. She’ll be an alliance none like we ever had.”

“Indeed it shall be. Now hurry off. Go and retrieve her. I have a feeling, the fun is just beginning.” Coby smiles, watching Dynasty exit the office as his whispers out: “Soon Ana, you and I will be together like it was meant to be. My brother’s death will not go undone. You’ll pay my little princess and I’m starting with that little doctor friend of yours.”
~*~

Nick groans and raises his head, sitting up in the utter darkness that clothed around him. “Am I dead?”

“You should be.” A familiar voice speaks out roughly.

Nick gulps and painfully crawls across the dark pathway, touching a tip of a cold metal steel object. He exhales slowly as fear etched his heart: “Jamelet?”

Her laughter invaded the darkness around him. “Can you find me?”

Nick scans the blackness around him as his fingers glow a faint red, sending a small flame on each his fingertips to light the area he’s in.

“Nick I never knew having so many powers would be a treat. Do you know what I just found here?” Her haunting voice taunts out as the soft beam from the flames on his fingertips cast a soft halo of light before him to see that he was somewhere in a basement of some type. He glances up to see the large opening he fell through yards above him. It would be impossible to go back up there unless he changed into smoke entirely, but he was already out of energy. He would need to gather his strength before making that journey again. He looks in front of him to see nothing but an old pistol lying on the ground before him with an empty valve. Knowing it was empty his ears prick at the voice.

“What’s that?”

“I can be in many places at the same time…isn’t that fascinating?” Jamelet’s eerie voice echoes in the hallway.

“Why are you doing this to us?”

“The word ‘why’ is such a lame attempt to save you. Let me put in a way you can understand. I have everything you have and more…” the voice filters the dark area as Nick sluggishly makes his way down the cement pathway.

“Where are you?”

“Find me.”

“I can’t.”

“You haven’t tried Nick.”

“Stop this.”

“Why…are you scared yet?” Jamelet’s voice laughs out.

Nick gulps, looking back up at the hole he fell from. “Get me out of this.”

“No. I have a surprise for you and your friends. I wanna play now. Let’s play Nick.”

“I’m not interested in playing right now.” Nick whispers out, sighing.

“Oh well. I am.” A sudden blast of water shoots out of the darkness, slamming him against a wall, almost pulling him under as he gasps and flails his arms fighting to stay afloat the sudden rushing flooding water.

“Awww…look at you. What you love the most is know killing you. What a pity really. Who knew water would turn on you?” Her voice blares out as Nick gasps, seeing a rush of water flooding the area already reaching a meter over his head. He tries to swim for air to reach its surface but is held back by some force as Jamelet’s haunting laughter flooded his ears.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Drowning In Tension



The water continued to rush in huge quantities against the dungy prison Jamelet had created, causing panic to settle in the depths of Nick’s aching chest. The fight or flight neural response began to spark in the very primal portions of Nick’s brain. He pitifully thrashed in hopes to reach the top of the crater for air, but Jamelet’s crushing grip upon his ankle proved otherwise, however. She continued to yank him deeper into the dark abyss with a haunting laugh invading his fuzzy mind, causing Nick to release a shrill scream. But the shadowy waters flushed into his mouth to silence any words, causing him to choke with despair. Nick’s fate had finally been sealed by the one he loved.



He was drowning.



His lungs ached for just a breath of fresh air as the water continued to churn around him with violent currents. It almost felt like his lungs might burst from the pressure building. A strong burning sensation overcame his struggling lungs as small dots of blackness filtered amongst his rapidly blinking eyes. He was loosing rapidly loosing the oxygen content within his body. Death was coming as the precious seconds without air grew to minutes.



‘Is it getting harder, Nicky? Can you feel death beckoning you to his door? He can be your new lover. I’m sure you two will be a beautiful pair once you accept the inevitable. Are you scared? You’re not much fun to play with, hopefully I can get the others to scream…’ Jamelet taunted inside his head, causing the pain to throb against his temples. And in a vain attempt to rescue himself from the pain, Nick embraced the creeping darkness. He stopped fighting against Jamelet’s forceful grip, allowing a flood of water to rush into his mouth.



His body fell still in the calming waters and Jamelet rose to the voice calling her name.



*~*~*



“We should have been ready for that…” Kevin breathed softly when he noticed Ana had walked several paces ahead of them. He obviously didn’t want Ana to overhear the conversation, because her psyche had already been brutalized in Jamelet’s vicious attacks. She had wrapped herself within a mental sheet of silence, shielding her heart in a blanket of ice to keep the prying eyes away. The boys seemed to understand that it pained Ana to be attacked by someone she saw as a mother, though Howie was taking the brunt force of the stinging blows. Ana had refused to stay with him, which obviously caused an ache in the man’s heart.



“Ready for Jamelet’s ball-buster attack?” AJ asked bluntly, noticing Ana’s hands trace along the wall for something specific. They had been following her down the maze of metal, though everything seemed to look the same. AJ was starting to fear that any attempt made at a rescue mission combined with an escape was useless. “Of course, I should have known she was going to try to freeze the dude she has a thing for to death and then burn her ‘daughter’ to death afterwards. Damn, how could I have been SO blind?!”



“We knew it was going to happen,” Brian agreed, ignoring AJ’s anger.



“We did?” Howie stated blankly, glancing between his friends in confusion for a moment. He didn’t understand anything that was happening, but knew that Ana was still in trouble. He seemed to only be concentrating on Ana’s form lingering just above them. He was just too worried about her to care about the smaller problems.



“Well, we knew what that Coby was going to inject one of our friends with that needle… And he said it’d change someone we know and love… But I didn’t expect it to make Jamelet attack Ana and Nick. I mean, she loves them more than anything—”



“Not anymore, Brian,” AJ whispered. “As much as we’re all hating to face the reality of the situation, we just have to do it. Jamelet’s the enemy.”



“Don’t you dare say that to Ana—”



“Found it!” Ana’s voice suddenly interrupted Kevin’s vain attempt at protection. She didn’t even care about the boys’ private conversation that most definitely dealt with her. She was more preoccupied with the door. She raked her fingers over the inscription upon the door with obvious relief: Laboratory B112. She remembered brief flashes of the room upon Coby’s private surveillance camera within his suite of rooms. Before she didn’t seem to understand why he would watch only one Laboratory so closely, but it made perfect since now. He was watching the room because of the deadly concoction brewing inside.



“Found what?” Howie called in confusion, the first of the boys to rush to her aid. He hesitated before placing a hand upon her shoulder. He winced when he noticed the frigid temperatures radiating off her pale skin, obviously a side effect of her raging emotions.



“Found the answer to our prayers,” Ana murmured, trailing her fingers against the familiar number pad.



“Well that’s nice, but it seems like the answer to our prayers is locked down!” AJ snapped, still frustrated with Nick’s disappearance and Jamelet’s bitter betrayal. He found it foolish that they were sneaking around a building filled with armed guards and a psychopathic leader.



“Not anymore,” Ana replied simply, releasing a small dagger of ice from her skin. She plucked it from her palm and slammed it sharply into the deepest portions of the keypad. Sparks flew backward with a hiss of smoke, but the door released. Seemingly pleased with herself, Ana stepped into the cool chambers. She could care less what the boys thought of her efforts, because she was on a greater mission. She wanted to find a cure for Jamelet.



“I don’t think she’s joking around anymore…” Brian breathed in surprise, cautiously stepping into the secret room. He found his bones immediately chilled by the frigid temperatures, but he continued further into the room. He noted the large filing cabinet to the side with a variety of test tubes and scientific instruments scattered along the nearby computer desk. He then peered down the narrow corridor, noting the long wall of metal cases. His mouth immediately dried – they were in a laboratory with a morgue attached to its side. “Um… Dead people… This is a home for dead people… A morgue!”



“Looks like you’ll be right at home,” Ana quipped sarcastically to Brian as she continued deeper into the room, locating the light switch. Immediately the cool room was flooded with flickering lights, causing the boys to shield their eyes from the power. Yet, Ana remained unmoved, noticing the nearby gurney. She bumped into it, causing a blackened hand of death to slip from beneath the sheet. Yet, she didn’t seem to care as she reached beyond it to retrieve a tray of test tubes, eying the familiar initials.



Wanting to help Ana’s efforts, Howie walked over to the gurney and peeled off the plastic sheet. He immediately recoiled with shock at the putrid smell lifting off the damp plastic covering. He gagged as his stomach turned with nausea at the sight of the dissected man. He had been completely torn apart by some foreign surgical instrument. His lifeless glassy eyes stared up at Howie with pure fear, almost burning a hole into his heart. Large surgical incisions were made across the man’s chest, revealing a mess of rancid yellow, decaying organs in its path. Howie gagged openly again, struggling to reach for the sheet to cover his discovery.



“Hey, it’s Johnny Bastion from Sanchez’s reign in CAPPA. Always like to spray me with water just to see me freeze into a cocoon. Damn Bastard,” Ana announced, peering over Howie’s shoulder for a moment. She glanced down to the man’s shoulder, immediately smirking with interest. “Seems like he was one of your kills, too.”



“Excuse me?” Howie coughed meekly.



“There’s the entry wound of an electrical shock,” Ana answered simply, probing the black hole in the man’s shoulder with her finger. She then pushed Howie aside to quickly heave the rigid body into a sitting position. Howie gagged repeatedly at the sound of cracking bones, realizing the man had almost been frozen solid. But, the worst lay on the other side of his back. A large gaping wound of decaying tissue protruded from just beneath his shoulder blade. Bits of his splattered heart could even be seen within the pus-filled cavity. “Electricity makes a clean entry, but a nasty exit wound. Congratulations, Howie.”



“Oh, Lord,” Howie whispered, immediately bowling over to vomit upon the floor.



Yet, Ana didn’t seem to care about Howie’s guilt as she tossed the container of test tubes to the floor. They shattered near Howie, causing him to jump with fear. But, Ana had no use for those test tubes. The antidote had already been removed from the holder, so she needed to dig deeper. She briefly glanced around the room for her next clue, her blue-green orbs finally resting upon a large file cabinet. She immediately crossed between the boys, looking for a way to open the secret files.



But AJ was none too pleased with Ana’s frosty nature. In the middle of her fumbling to release the files, AJ violently yanked on her arm. He propelled her backward with a gripping force, firmly shaking her shoulders. His eyes were dark with hatred as he scorned her. “What the Hell is wrong with you?! Howie fucking risked his life to save you and you make him feel guilty about taking a man’s life that was obviously trying to take his?! What is stuck up your ass, Ana? Why are you so hateful to a man that loves you?! Huh?! TELL ME WHAT YOUR PROBLEM IS!!”



“AJ, get off her!” Howie barked.



“No! I want the answer!” AJ growled, still gripping her tightly.



“My problem?” Ana breathed finally, her words coating with an icy mist. She closed her eyes for a moment, causing her body temperature to drop into the negatives. An icy frost covered AJ’s hands, causing him to yelp with pain before releasing her. She fell to the floor, immediately turning to the filing cabinet. She allowed her eyes to glow with a blinding white tone, focusing all of her rage and determination as she spoke. “My problem is that a man that I’ve known since I was a baby has turned into a cold-blooded bastard because of CAPPA. Everything that CAPPA touches turns into death. Now, CAPPA’s taking away the only mother that I’ve ever known. I’m not leaving this place without my Jammy. I need her! I will die before I leave without her. And to top EVERYTHING off, my hair’s completely burned, I’m tired, I’m cranky, I’m bleeding, I’m miserable…”



Ana focused all of her energy onto the single filing cabinet, allowing her rage to build to the point of exhaustion. Powerful winds began to whip around the boys with an icy crack while snow flooded the ground in heaping measures. Then, with a violent scream, Ana threw a wicked amount of crushing hail and sharp icicles toward the filing cabinet to crack it open, causing papers to flutter around the room within the bitter winds. “AND I WANT TO GO HOME!”



*~*~*



“He’s dead,” Dynasty purred with delight as Jamelet burst from the water. She immediately collapsed into a bow at Dynasty’s leather coated feet like a prized pet waiting for its reward. Dynasty released a pleased giggle, stroking Jamelet’s damp locks while she watched the cumbersome shadow bobbing in the water with death. She couldn’t have imagined a better outcome – Coby would be quite pleased.



“He wouldn’t play,” Jamelet sulked softly.



“You’ll have others to play with,” Dynasty promised, pulling back from the crater.



“Soon?”



“Very soon!,” Coby’s voice suddenly floated amongst the heavy air, causing Jamelet to glance up in delight. His essence softly appeared between the two women. A misty hand reached down to cup Jamelet underneath the chin. “Very good girl. We are two of a kind, Jamelet. You will know all of my pain and anguish in the passing hours. But, enough of those unpleasant thoughts... You have another job. Go kill Howie and bring Ana to me, so we can all be a happy family again.”
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**