Private The Channels [18+]

The music blared loudly over the speakers, reverberating around the house and causing the floor to shudder slightly. Isabel Swann walked around her home, picking up the rubbish lying on the floor all around the place; since she lived alone, she'd never had to worry about clearing up. Now that was all changing. Someone was moving in; Alex, or Alexei, or something along those lines. She'd had to steel herself before putting up the advert in the papers for a room to let; she was a Channel, and that needed to remain a secret.
Channels were ordinary people with extraordinary abilities; Isabel herself had the ability to manipulate the air around her, as well as creating light or controlling the light already nearby. This could be extremely helpful, but was difficult to keep secret. However, she'd done an okay job so far; now she was worrying that it wouldn't be a secret much longer. What if this man was the sort of person who believed all that political bollocks the SDDs put out to convince the public that the Channels were evil? "Hunters", they called them. Classed as terrorists. The Special Defence Departments of each country were in charge of the media, the military and the public. Only three types of people remained on the Earth; those who hated the Channels, those who didn't mind the Channels, and those that were Channels themselves.

But there was no denying it; Isabel needed money. She was living in LA - an expensive place to live - and needed to head to Chicago soon as well. The news was telling of a Channel causing masses of disruption in the city, and she hoped to travel there to deal with him. Channels would never be accepted into society if they did things like this; they had to stop. Hence, she needed money. A promotion at work was out of the question; her boss, the editor of the LA Daily News, already distrusted her. The only other way was to put up her spare room for rent.

The song finished, and switched to one way up at the top of her music library. The song reminded her of her parents; those double-crossing, conveniently rich wankers. She mouthed the words to herself as they poured from the speakers:
"Red like roses, fills my head with dreams and finds me, always closer to the emptiness and sadness that has come to take the place of you." The words had been more important to her a few years ago, when she still missed her parents; but the song still mattered. Her parents were gone in her heart; they no longer had a place there. In their place was, as the song said, emptiness and sadness; sadness that the people that had nurtured her for eighteen years would betray her for prejudice.

A little ding jerked her out of her trance. One of the three tabs she had open on her computer had indicated something important. She left the music playing, moving the mouse over the local Chicago news page telling of the disruptive Channel, and clicked on Channel Surfing, the hidden forum specifically made for Channels that needed someone to talk to. She'd originally joined for just that; but now she found herself more often doing the helping.
In fact, just now Alice had messaged her; adorable little Starpebble, the sixteen-year-old girl still in high school, with the power to see one of many instances of the future, along with the ability to manipulate dark matter and energy. Deadly powers; especially in one so young, and so untrained. She'd only discovered her powers around three years ago; Isabel herself had had around five years to specifically train her powers, learn to control them. Alice worried her sometimes with the lack of time to do so.

Alice had sent her a message; Isabel's eyes read over it, grimacing as she read it. Apparently, Alice had had a really bad day, and just wanted to talk, to calm down. Sitting down herself, she typed up a quick reply:
Listen to me; they're not your friends. They're not important. Just ignore them; they'll get bored quickly. ...Though I know you're not the kind of person to be good at ignoring people. You're too nice for that. Just... make sure that you're not taking their insults as truth. Your powers are a gift, not an illness. You're using them for good so far, which is more than many Channels can say. You're already much braver than I am; I never told anyone about my powers after I ran away from home. Not one. You've pretty much just come out with it, which is more than I could have done.
Skimming over the message quickly, she decided that would be enough to at least cheer Alice up a bit. She hit "send", jerking her head around at the knock on the door.

Already?! It's barely lunch!
Maybe it would just be the mail, but Isabel had a feeling it would more likely be her new housemate. She quickly closed down Channel Surfing; it'd be a dead giveaway if he saw her looking at a site designed for Channels.

It'd also not be good if she answered the door in her pyjamas, which she was currently wearing.
She ran to the door, opening it a tiny bit and saying,
"Just a minute!" Before waiting for a reply, she shut the door again, running off to get dressed.
Something smart, something that doesn't make you look like the bloody recluse you are.

Trying to be as quick as possible, she put on a random set of underwear, pulling on a pair of skinny jeans and black socks, then sliding a shirt over her head; three-quarter-length sleeves, as was the norm for her, made of plain black cotton. She headed for the door, reaching the halfway point before realising she'd not brushed her hair since getting out of bed. She fell backwards, pulling a brush through her long purple hair and running a hand over it to force it into its normal shape, swept over to the right and hiding her forehead. Finally ready to meet the man, she opened the door fully and gave a little, unprepared smile at the man.

He had short brown hair, with light blue eyes and a light stubble. His high cheekbones, slightly uneven eyebrows and hint of a smirk made Isabel predict a bit of arrogance in the man, as if he could beat her at even blind luck. Though of course, she could be wrong.
He wore a blue shirt and a black suit jacket, with smart trousers and polished shoes. She couldn't help but feel he'd made much more of an effort than she had. Looking up at the man, who was at least six inches taller than her, she held out her hand.
"You must be, um, Alexei? Right?" She swallowed; Alexei seemed friendly, but also quite intimidating.
"Yes, that's what they call me. And you're, uh... Lisa? Elizabeth? Ah!" He snapped his fingers. "Isabel! Isabel Swann!" Alexei smiled slightly, gazing down at her, examining both her and the hallway behind her. "When I saw I would be sharing a house with a woman, I was not expecting such a beautiful one." He winked, making Isabel flush and look away, scratching her head.
"Well, uh, thanks. You can just call me Izzy, by the way." A comical thought hit her; they would be a Brit and a Russian sharing an American house. It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke, and she gave a tiny giggle. "Sorry, come inside. You're going to have to, eventually!" After closing the door behind Alexei, she couldn't help but feel a little overpowered. Alexei was a large man, with a deep voice and a Russian accent; he was the very epitome of intimidating. Isabel was a small little English girl with traces of Asian roots and purple hair; she was just cute, in comparison.

"Well, this is the house, I guess." She pointed down the hallway, gesturing for him to follow her. "I'll show you where your room is." Isabel pointed out every room as he followed her.

"There's the living room; TV, internet, everything else you might need, though not the best of them. Right in there is the toilet - sorry, the bathroom. Left here is the kitchen, joins on to the living room so you can watch TV while you eat!" She smiled back at him. "Uh, if you like that sort of thing. There's a dining table too."
Not a great first impression so far, Izzy.
"Here's my room, and right at the end there's your room. Double bed, in case you have any, uhm, guests. Just... let me know if you do have... bed-guests, right? I don't want to be waken up in the middle of the night to... well, you know."

"Of course. I trust you'll do the same."
Izzy blushed at the comment.
"Oh, uhm, I don't really have many - many guests. I tend to just sit at my computer when I'm not at work. Video games, internet, some private stuff I'd rather you didn't see." Alexei winked. "Ugh, not like that! Oh, god. Sorry, not... no. Just, don't go in there unless you're prepared for a long adventure trying to get out again." She gave a slight grin, kicking herself internally. "Well, uhm... anything else you need to know?"
"Oh, nothing I cannot work out myself. Thank you for letting me share your house."
"Oh, that reminds me. Rent's six hundred dollars a month, and you can just pay that whenever you like in the month, as long as you do pay it." She tapped her nose lightly, smiling a little. "Well, I guess I'll let you unpack and get settled in." She smiled, then slunk back into her room, closing the door behind her and opening Channel Surfing again, waiting for a response from Alice.

"Coffee's ready, Brom!"

Brom's eyes jerked open, shocked awake by the strange voice that had just called for him. He looked around, feeling uneasy with the unfamiliar surroundings, until he recalled the day prior.

What happened that brought him here in the first place.

Brom sat up on the soft suede couch and rubbed his head, smoothing out his hair as he did so.

"Coming." He finally replied. With a heavy sigh he stood to his feet, only to see his host, Krys, enter the room with a tray holding two mugs. She smiled at him innocently, which made him smile in turn. She was way too calm for someone harboring one of those vicious, "hunters" everyone heard about on the news.

Yeah. That was the strange part. She knew about Brom's...condition. And yet, she was more than eager to hide him here. Even after explaining how known he was in Chicago.

She laid the tray on the table and spun it around, so that each of their mugs were on their side.

"No need! Already here. The checkered one is yours. Black, right?"

Brom clutched the handle on the mug and sniffed the liquid in it, allowing the strong scent to envelop him.

"Absolutely. There's no other way to have it!" He said proudly, taking a long sip. Krys laughed at his eager drink, and took a sip as well.

When they both stopped, Krys spoke up. "It's awfully funny just how much you remind me of him." She stated, her eyes starting to sink to her coffee. "I almost can't get over it." This time her tone was rather melancholy.

She shook her head, trying to hold back her memories, as well as her tears. "Sorry. I just keep remembering my brother." Brom shook his as well, and sat his mug down.

"You don't need to apologize. The only one's who need to apologize are out there looking for me right now. And soon, whenever they find me, I'll make sure they do. For what they did to your brother, and what they are doing to everyone else like me."

Krys shook her head, taking another sip. "No, Brom. Don't put yourself in danger like that. I don't want to risk losing another friend to-"

Three loud bangs ,in quick succession, rung out in the two room apartment. Both of them stood to their feet quickly, not sure what to do. Krys immediately turned to look at Brom, and pointed to her armoire. "Get in there, and don't even think about coming out. I'll talk them out of here."

Brom wanted to protest, but Krys hushed him. "Go. Now."

Brom bit his lip, wanting to disagree. But he finally listened, heading over to the armoire. He got in and turned around to see Krys closing the doors behind him, her face tense and worried.

What had he gotten this girl into?

Three more loud bangs erupted from the other side of the room, and Brom tried his best to peek through the cracks in the doors. After finding a way to do so, in the most uncomfortable position possible, he watched Krys begin to work on her outfit. She pushed up one sleeve on her left arm, then tucked the shirt in on her right. She then pulled up one pant leg, and then removed the sock from the opposite foot. It took Brom a minute to catch on to what she was doing.

She was making it look as if she had just woke up, so it wouldn't be so suspicious that it took her so long.

She messed her hair as she started on the locks, and then opened the door.

"Can I help-" Was all Brom heard before he heard a sickening smack, and heard something that sounded like...

Like a body hitting the floor?

Brom peeked through the door again and saw Krys lying on the floor, her forehead bleeding, and a gun pointed at her head only a foot or two away.

Out of nowhere, a deep voice sounded out from the room, calling for him.

"Robasdon. Come on out before we have to end her." Brom couldn't believe his ears. They were going to kill her?

The voice continued. "Come on, Robasdon. Don't add this poor girl to the long list of good people who've died because of people like you."

Brom snorted, hot air releasing from his nostrils. "fluff you." He whispered, before opening the door and stepping out with his hands up. He heard a rasp voice calling for him to run, then another smack. Brom refused to look, afraid he'd flare up.

Nothing would give him more pleasure than burning these bastards to a crisp. But he knew that Krys would get caught in it too.

No one was safe from Brom's rage. Not when he gets like that.

He looked up to face the brunt of the group, his hands up high, a falsly cocky smile spread across his face.

"Alright assholes. You got me."

This seems like a good day Alexei thought to himself as he left the Hotel. The sun was blinding everyone in LA, the traffic was tough, and the urban environment was something he grew accustomed with for a long time. He walked over to the parking lot below the hotel, but halfway there he sighed as he realized he doesn't have a car, not anymore. He started walking, all the way from his hotel to his new apartment in downtown LA. He was supposed to be living with a girl that needed money and gave up a room for rent. Certainly Alexei wasn't at the peak of his dreams, that apartment was no penthouse, he could see the building from far away. Not too old, but not too new either. Why did he even care about it, after all? Most of his time was spent in casinos and nightclubs. He considered himself to be a new man, a friendly individual that likes having fun more then he likes working.

As he was walking towards his new home, his phone rings. It was one of his best, if not his best friend – Timothy. He lent Alexei money when he needed them, and it was him that make sure Alexei's luck was placed at good use. He picks up the phone and starts talking “Da?” there was a brief moment of awkward silence before Timothy replies “What the fl*ff are you saying, Ace?”. It soon dawned upon him, Alexei answered in russian. “Ah, sorry Tim. I still have a habit of using other languages over the phone”. Tim could be heard chuckling a bit. Alexei knew english since he was young, only problem is he didn't use it half as much as a regular american “You need to give those up, Ace. This ain't Moskow. Anyway, I called to check when/if you're coming over. The whole thing starts in an hour, and you know they won't start without you.”

Ace. The name fitted him, and Alexei really liked it. He was known as that among other card players. “I have a nice streak of coming late to those pointless gatherings, I'd rather not break it. Anyway, I have to get myself a new place to stay.” He spoke, scratching the back of his head. He was closing in on the building “Well, don't be late this time, plopsbird! They're gon blame me, like they always do.” He knocked on the door of his apartment. “I'll try. See ya around, Tim”

He could only catch a glance of his new roommate, before she closed the door back. "Just a minute!" He placed the phone back in his pocket Not too long now... he thought. Alexei was quite an impatient fellow. Usually, that was good, he acted fast, and he thought fast. He wasn't the kind who would dwell upon a problem for more than a few seconds. She opened the door and extended her hand. Alexei shook it softly as they started chatting "You must be, um, Alexei? Right?" She swallowed. The girl seemed nervous, almost like she had something to hide. And she didn't look the shy kind. The way she dressed, how she looked overall made her into a provocative figure.
"Yes, that's what they call me. And you're, uh” he kept trying to remember her name, staying still “Lisa? Elizabeth? Ah!" He snapped his fingers. "Isabel! Isabel Swann!" Alexei smiled slightly, gazing down at her, examining both her and the hallway behind her. Without a doubt, she was an attractive woman, which further confused Alexei when it came to her obvious shyness. "When I saw I would be sharing a house with a woman, I was not expecting such a beautiful one." He winked, making Isabel flush and look away, scratching her head.

"Well, uh, thanks. You can just call me Izzy, by the way." She invited him inside. Alexei rose an eyebrow, the girl seemed a little to recover her confidence as she showed her house off. It was a nice place to live, but sharing a house with someone meant he had to be extra careful about concealing his secret. As innocent as this girl seemed, she could not be trusted. No one could be trusted."Here's my room, and right at the end there's your room. Double bed, in case you have any, uhm, guests. Just... let me know if you do have... bed-guests, right? I don't want to be waken up in the middle of the night to... well, you know." Alexei chuckled at her way of putting it. As much as he liked women, he kept them away from his home the best he could. He did his best to make it seem like he had nothing to hide, when in truth, he kept more things hidden then revealed. Without thinking too much about it he replied


"Of course. I trust you'll do the same."
Izzy blushed at the comment. It seemed obvious she'd rather not sit on this topic for too long.
"Oh, uhm, I don't really have many - many guests. I tend to just sit at my computer when I'm not at work. Video games, internet, some private stuff I'd rather you didn't see." Kinky.. he thought to himself before winking at her. Apparently, that only caused her to turn very defensive. In the end, he was left to get settled in, and Isabel went to her room. He didn't have a lot of time, so Alexei just threw his baggage in his room, sorting out his money. He kept some for himself, and the other he placed on a table in the middle of the dining room."Hey, eh..Izzy,” he shouted over to her room for her to hear “I have a bad habit of spending too much money. I left you the rent for the next five months on the table." as sad as it seemed it was true. He couldn't keep money on him without spending them. "Oh, right? That's fine. Better than fine, actually; I've been planning a short trip to Chicago for some time, and that should get me on the way. Thanks." Apparently the girl was more of a maze then she seemed. “Don't mention it” with that he went outside, hurrying his feet to the meeting. It was a long day ahead.

Chris's boots rang loudly on the wet stone floor as he ran through what he thought was a town center, the rain he noticed hadn't stopped since he got to Seattle, but then again it never did he thought to him self. It was a standard mission to track down a Hunter that had been using his powers to rob banks and neutralize him but he hadn't planned on chasing him on foot for a mile in the rain. As he ran through a narrow ally way he wondered if it had been a good idea to leave his squad behind, dismissing the thought he kept going. Hearing something off to his left he dove to the side barely managing to escape a vine from wrapping around him, quickly he located the Hunter.

Chris studied him closely The man was short and skinny a few inches shorter then himself, his face was covered but from what he could see it looked like the Hunter was scared. Before he could confirm it two more vines erupted out of the ground barely missing him. Chris realizing the danger tried to calm down he slowed his breathing to try and tap into that hidden power so many people thought a disease. He recently found out that in order to control his power he needed to remain calm, any falter in his emotions would result in failure. Feeling a familiar tugging sensation in his gut he let the power escape. The rain which had been falling so profusely a minute ago was now coming down in large hardened chunks, the vines that had been trying to entangle them froze solid while the walls of the narrow ally glistened with then sheets of ice. The Hunter backed up, his breath visible from where Chris stood, his skin turning a pale blue color. Looking at the mans face mere seconds from hypothermia a vision flashed in his mind of the first person he had killed, and that brief second caused him to loose control, his vision flicked and he fell unconscious his energy drained.

"I can't believe you let him get away." Paul, an older man with peppered gray hey chided him.
Chris with his ever present black jacket covering his head merely grunted in reply, after he had lost consciousness his team had found him laying in a small pool of water, the hunter no where to be seen. "I mean come on! Your suppose to be able to deal with these Hunters with a wave of your finger! Or at least that's what the higher ups think!" He continued in a loud voice as they walked down the airport terminal.

"Be quiet!" Ellie the third member of there group hissed in a loud whisper. "We aren't suppose to let anyone know who we are, anyway I bet if it was you, you would faint merely in fear." She finished returning to her normal voice.

Under his hood Chris smiled, Ellie always took his side in such squabbles that were all to common in there small group. He looked up at her and for the twentieth time in the last hour and marveled at her beauty. She was year older than him and slightly shorter she had short blond hair and dark green eyes, but what really amazed him was her skill with a rifle, and how she was widely considered the best shot in the SDD. Paul on the other hand was a different matter he was half a foot taller than Chris and around 35 years old, he had short graying hair and a fit build. He was highly regarded for his computer skills and Chris would have liked him because of that if Paul didn't take every opportunity to tease Chris and it was only Ellie that kept them from killing each other. The trio continued on back to the SDD base in L.A., Chris wondered what kind of punishment he would receive for letting the Hunter escape, then pushed the bad thought aside when he realized whatever it was he would face it with his two closest friends.

Alice had had a terrible day. The worst day of the week so far, and it was only Monday. She had seen this day coming last night. Her powers as a Channel granted her visions, glimpses of the future while she slept. She was able to see things before they happened and sometimes act on them. She had first learned this about herself when she was thirteen and now she was sixteen, a sophomore in the middle of her high school years. She had learned to control this power to a degree. To guide her mind through the visions and to subconsciously focus on them as she slept. This let her see a great deal and had given her many advantages over her peers. Especially in her grades. She could see the questions to a math test days before it took place. She knew exactly what to study for and knew the answers before her teachers did. She could see the weather for tomorrow and dress accordingly. She could see when and where a bully would make trouble for her and avoid it, or see when her mother had a surprise for her and be excited for it. This resulted in many good days for Alice. Today however was not one of those. Today reinforced the other side of her powers and the harshest lesson she had learned in controlling them.

Just because her visions showed her something did not mean she could change it. Some events were so large or so certain, happening in so many strands of time that they were impossible to ignore. That was why she was here on her living room couch with her mother and her best friend Jessica, crying. She had been crying for ten minutes, ever since her mother got home from grocery shopping. Alice and Jessica had gotten home from school half an hour before and Jessica had comforted her best friend as best she could but could do little other than empathize.

"I just don't get it." Alice cried in her mother's shoulder, pausing to take deep breaths. "I knew this day was coming...I saw it...I saw all of it...the gum...the picture of me all bed-headed...Britney being a bitch and spreading it all...why couldn't I do anything about it!? How could I have been so unprepared!? Every day I have to hide part of who I am because of this stupid power and now it abandons me in my time of need!? What the fluff!?"

"I can't answer that baby." Alice's mother Amy said, holding her daughter close and stroking her hair. "I would if I could, but I don't know. What you can do...It's outside of my experience but it's helped you so much more than it's hurt you. It's not a curse sweetheart. It's a gift. I don't know what you're supposed to do with it, but it's gonna be something special. I promise you that."

"Mom, I can see the future! I should have all the answers!"

"Alice honey, no one has all the answers. You shouldn't expect to. You can't."

"You're mom's right Alice." Jessica chimed in, still sitting on Alice's other side but giving her and her mom space. "Just because you can see these things, doesn't mean you can't see everything. I mean, the way you described your powers to me, don't they just manifest as random bits while you sleep? Like dreams?"

"Yeah." Alice sniffled.

"Ever had a dream you couldn't remember or couldn't make sense of?"

"Sure. Plenty of them."

"Then why would these vision be any different? Don't you think it's likely that any visions you have, especially any of the "waking flashes" you've told us about? What makes you think they'd be any clearer than a bad dream? If I were a Channel I'd think they were all pretty confusing."

"Yeah...yeah I guess you're right." Alice said.

These were the kinds of moments where she really loved her mom and Jess. Jess wasn't as outgoing as Alice, or even as confident but she had a more analytical mind. She could see a bigger picture than Alice could and helped her make sense of the wildest of problems. Jessica was also a fellow Channel, an ordinary human with extraordinary powers. Jessica couldn't see the future like Alice, or wield the energies of the universe as a weapon, but she could understand how almost anything worked. With the slightest touch Jessica could understand anything from a wrench to a watch to a computer. She saw its inner workings, how it fit together, what it did, what it needed to be fixed. Then she could reshape the object in real life. Restore it to working condition completely without tools. Even the worst software issues or the most destroyed of hard drives Jessica could fix with hand and mind alone. Alice and Jessica were best friends for many reasons, but the biggest of which was they were kindred spirits. Two Channels who had each other and could share things they couldn't share with anyone else.

Alice's mother Amy was a normal human woman of 54 and a government employee but she loved her daughter more than anything or anyone in existence. Alice was the best daughter a mother could ask for and her powers only added to that. She didn't understand them but she didn't have to: her daughter would do great things with them and that was all she could ever want.

"See? Cut yourself a little slack. I mean, most days I wish I had your power. I'd love to see what our next Geometry test is on! I can barely spell hypotenuse, much less find one on an imaginary triangle!"

"Hah! I know what you mean!" Alice said, cheered up a little. "It's gonna be mostly Pythagorean Theorem stuff and triangle area equations. You'll figure it out before the test and I'll help you through it. You're gonna do fine Jess."

"Oh? How fine is fine?"

"Oh...I won't ruin the surprise. Just know that our study party next week will be time well spent." Alice said, smiling, the tears stopping for a while.

"Sounds like you girls have a plan." Amy said. "In the meantime, you my dear need a pick-me-up for such an awful day. Jess? How would you feel if you and I took Alice out to Wendy's and we brainstormed on ways to knock Britney off her high horse?"

"That sounds like a great idea Mrs. Croshaw! Alice?"

"Sure. What time?"

"Let's go about 6:30. It's almost 4 now so how about I run you home Jess and let you do homework and such and we'll pick you up about then?"

"Sure. That sounds fine."

"I'm good with that."

"And you, my dear, need to go upstairs, take a shower, change into something comfy and do something fun until then. Don't worry about your homework, you were sick tonight and couldn't do it. I'll back you up tomorrow if your teachers give you any crap, which they won't. Tonight, forget about Britney. Work on some doll clothes, play whatever Mass Erect video game you like, go do some blogging on that Channel site. Do whatever, so long as it's fun."

"Okay. Thanks mom."

Alice released herself from her mom's loving embrace, dried her eyes with a paper towel and hugged Jess. Jess gladly returned it and then made ready to head home, following Alice's mom to her car and picking up her purse and backpack as she went. Alice headed upstairs and got the shower she so desperately wanted this morning, feeling much better afterwards. It had gotten much colder since this morning so Alice changed into a pair of white long underwear and pulled a black t-shirt and some skinny jeans over it. She headed up to her room, cracked open a can of coke zero, wrapped herself in one of her microplush blankets and logged onto Channel Surfing, the place on the internet where Channels could talk to each other without fear or persecution. It was also, in Alice's opinion, the best superhero discussion site ever with the best roleplaying section ever. She wanted to go over the day's events and write them down so she opened a Private Message to her best friend on the site. Her real name was Izzy and she was a British girl who lived in L.A but she went by ?Airhead on the site. Alice went by Starpebble, a clever reference to her powers.

Participants: Starpebble, Airhead
Subject: I had such a crappy day! :'(
Last post: Starpebble at 3:30 p.m

Hey Izzy. The title pretty much says it all and I know this is like the third one I've sent you in the last month and I'm really sorry about that. I just...I need to vent to somebody besides my mom or Jess. I feel like I've used them too much already, and it helps me when I write all this down. It's okay if you don't reply to this, I just need to write it all out.

My day was completely pl***. I didn't wake up until 6:45 today because I forgot to set my alarm and I turned my phone off last night to try and sleep better. Otherwise I'm here till midnight or on Facebook or whatever else. I have barely enough time to throw something on, grab my backpack and run out the door, catching the bus with seconds to spare. Then I get to school and what do I find? My blue dress, my favorite blue dress, is more wrinkled than tin foil because I didn't hang it up last night, my white leggings are inside out, my matching white long sleeve shirt is on backwards and I had grabbed two different knee high riding boots and two different matching leather gloves. One black and one brown. My dress has a short skirt and short sleeves so you can still see the long sleeve shirt and leggings underneath, and therefore the ugly seems for being inside out. Plus my hair's a wet fluffing mess and I've got no makeup because I had time to shower and nothing else.

Turns out, we get to school EARLY and I have 15 minutes till 1st period (that's English) starts and who comes around to greet me? fluffing Britney. Britney with her perfect-by-nature shoulder length brown hair and her spotless black leather jacket, her shined knee high black stilettos over her very flattering skinny jeans. Her and her crowd of airhead (no offense, haha!) Kim Kardashian fluffing wannabee divas. I can't even open my mouth before they all pull out their phones and take my hideous picture, which of course hits Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram minutes after (I swear those girls must be Channels by how fast they post and text.) Then, after my phone is done vibrating and chiming like it's about to explode, Britney walks up to me. The conversation goes something like this.

Britney: Oh, hey Alice.
Me: Morning Britney, you're looking...good today. (me trying to be nice despite wanting to kill her.)
Britney: Duh. I always look good. You? Not so much? A little rushed this morning were we? *cue infuriating laughter from airhead girls 1,2 and 3)
Me: Uhhh...yeah. You could say that. Is there something you need? A new pair of thumbs after you just broke yours putting my mugshot all over the Internet maybe?
Britney: OOOoh, burned me Alice. You're having a bad hair...well...bad everything day, but it could be worse.
Me: Oh? How so?
Britney: Oh, you'll find out later. See you at lunch Alice!

Then she walks off and I go to class and try not to think about it. Then 12:30 comes, I get to lunch with my friend Jess and she and I talk about the pl*** that bitch did to me. Jess is super awesome as always, and having 3 of 7 classes with her is nice, all in the afternoon (Acting 2 on B days, World History 2 on A days, today, and Geometry after lunch. That's every day.) So we get our food, set it down and Jess gives me a spare brush so I can do something with my hair and we go to the bathroom so we can talk. Then we come back, I pick up my PB&J sandwich and as soon as I bite into it, I pull out a piece of gum. A giant fluffing grey piece with hair on it! And if that wasn't enough I find my apple dropped in a container of fluffing school cottage cheese! I don't like cottage cheese anyway but our school must use toxic waste to make theirs because no human being would eat it. Then there's my apple in it with a fluffing bite mark! I look over to Britney's table and she and her host of airheads are cracking the fluff up. And to top it all off? Everyone, and I mean fluffing EVERYONE I meet today was looking at that lovely picture of me from this morning. It's on facebook with the caption "Alice Croshaw, the embodiment of beauty." It was all I could do not to start crying by the time Geometry started. I don't even remember today's lesson I was so upset so now I'm gonna have to ask Jess.

I came home in tears today. Jess walked home with me because she's awesome and she gave me a hug and tried to remind me that Britney's a bitch and she stayed over until my mom got home and then she gave me a hug and held me after I cried for about 15 minutes. It helped, but it's just not enough.

You know what the worst part of this day is? I had a vision about it last night. All of it. Every single part. My "gifts" let me see all the pl*** that was going to happen to me today and you know how much good it did? None! Not a fluffing bit! All it did was make me lose sleep. I hate my powers. They're a curse. I can't even crush Britney's chest with my biotics (haha! Mass Effect referece to my powers! That's pretty much what they are lol!) Because then I'd kill her and that would be messy.

I just don't get it. Britney and I have known each other since 4th grade. We were good friends once and now all she wants to do is go around school looking dolled up and making trouble for me. I thought she was my friend. What the fluff happened?

I'm sorry for that book. I understand if you need time to think on everything or if you're just not wanting to talk to me but I really need a friend right now.

After reading it over, Alice was satisfied and hit "Send." She then switched to the homepage to check her alerts and read up on recent roleplaying posts. One of her other friends, Livi had posted on Iron Shogunate, an RP set in the Marvel universe where samurai constructs have been created and rebelled and the players are "new" super heroes recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D to stop them. Alice played a gril her age named Ellen Robinson who could control dark matter and dark energy. A nice way for Alice to explore her own powers in a non-threatening environment.

Fifteen minutes later, while Alice was reading Livi's most recent post, and an OOC post by Izzy wondering where she was, Izzy responded to Alice's message.

RE: I had such a crappy day! :'(
Posted by Airhead a moment ago:

Listen to me; they're not your friends. They're not important. Just ignore them; they'll get bored quickly. ...Though I know you're not the kind of person to be good at ignoring people. You're too nice for that. Just... make sure that you're not taking their insults as truth. Your powers are a gift, not an illness. You're using them for good so far, which is more than many Channels can say. You're already much braver than I am; I never told anyone about my powers after I ran away from home. Not one. You've pretty much just come out with it, which is more than I could have done.

It wasn't as much as Alice had hope for, but more than she expected. She appreciated it all the same. Izzy had been so nice to her and always took the time to help and listen. Really she was like an older sister to Alice. It was a bond Alice was really grateful to have, especially since she was an only child. Rather than respond now, Alice decided to let her mind rest and play some Minecraft until it was time to meet up with Jessica.

Four hours later, Alice was back in her room. The outing was just what she needed. Having fun with her mom and Jess, a Son of Baconator and a chocolate frosty, and a few ideas for the next time Britney made trouble for her were all that was needed to make Alice her old self again. Now she was at her computer, hair damp from a warm bath, and snuggled up in the blanket she was using earlier and now also in a warm cut and comfy pair of footy pajamas. Black with white skulls tonight. She always slept better in them, they made her feel safe and happy and she looked adorable in them, wrapped from neck to toe in warm, soft fleece. She loved them. Now full and happy, she replied to Izzy's message.

Thanks for replying Izzy. I guess I do have it better than most Channels and that's part of why I feel so sad on days like this. I mean, there are lots of Channels out there that are constantly looking over their shoulders, worrying about day to day stuff. Then there's me, the girl who gets to have a normal life with school and friends and parents who love me. In that light, it makes being bullied at school trite and trivial by comparison. That's part of why I'm kind of afraid to say anything. Mom says I shouldn't be. That I need to talk to the school counselor about this but Britney might take advantage of that somehow. Like she'll eternally call me weak due to that. Even if she's barred from making trouble for me at school, the internet's free territory. I don't know what to do and it's getting to the point where I just don't want to go to school anymore. Mom said that I have to keep going. That if I hide at home than Britney wins, but it seems like no matter what she does she never gets in trouble for it. Almost like she can just charm her way out of anything.

Also, I'm guessing from your reply that you were a bit rushed? I know it's a lot to ask, but do you think you could go over my day again? See if any of this has happened to you and tell me how you dealt with it? It's selfish, I know, asking you to basically redo your RE:, but I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks for reading, as always. I'm better now than when I wrote that message. I've had time to shower and attend to my hair and makeup so I look properly human. Mom and I went to Wendy's and we took Jess with us so that was fun. Dad gave me a big hug when he got home and it's about 7 here and I'm in my pj's now. They're a one piece and have feet. I love them

Thanks again Izzy *hugs*

PS: I'm really sorry for going a full week without posting in Iron Shogunate. I've been really busy with school and...well...this stuff. Please don't think I'm ignoring you guys! I promise I'll post this weekend! Maybe sooner!

After that, Alice was tired. It was only about 7:30, but her room was too warm, her blankets too soft and her bed too inviting to not say no to a short nap. So she got into bed, covered herself with just the plush blanket to avoid getting too hot, and closed her eyes, letting her mind wander and eventually falling asleep.

"Oh Levi? Yeah he can be a kind 'Chuck a tantrum in the middle of the aisle' kind of guy when pushed..." Kathryn said to Paige, whom Levi had offended. "What does that even mean?" Paige asked curiously. "It means like, I don't know, just in the middle of the aisle. Doesn't care who can see. In clear view of the others, you know..." She tries to explain. "That's why your asshole friend could tell everyone what he did, he didn't care and said what he wanted."

"He's the asshole. He was so rude to my friend. He told her to eat pl*ps and choke on it." Paige retorted. "Did you see how rude SHE was being!?" Kathryn wouldn't let Levi's name drag through the dirt. He was homeless, near friendless and was being hunted already. He didn't need more bullying, even if it was cyber.

Meanwhile...

"Hey, Alice" Levi types. He backspaces. "Hey," He types. He backspaces it again. He begins typing once more. He was indecisive.

"Hey Alice, how are you? I hope nobody said anything mean about you today, because I think you're great."

He knew this was cheesy, but Alice was a beautiful young girl who did not deserve to be picked on. He didn't know what she looked like exactly, he'd never met her, but she was very innocent in nice from what he had gathered.

"Today a homeless guy took me in after I rode my back halfway across the suburbs. I'm staying here for now, the people that chased me might catch up and hopefully they go past or give up. I made it rain down heavy, so that would have made it harder for them."

He wasn't sure if this was the right thing to say, he didn't want her to know he was homeless.

"Even when humans don't know I'm a channel they try and abuse me. Humans, weird right? That I can't be considered one of them anymore. Their laws I never really cared for, I didn't go out of my way to break them but whether something was legal or not didn't factor into my decision making process. For example, trespassing on school grounds to shoot hoops."

He was straying from the point now.

"But now just being who we are is illegal, so I refuse to take them seriously. How did channels even come to be? Are we the result of some kind of messed up experiment? Today I had a huge fight with my mother, she said she'll 'come back' when she's ready to see me again.... I don't get it.... Leaving me out here alone? How will she even find me, I'm moving all the time. Idk... She's a channel, so I'm not worried about her. It's weird to think how rare channels are, then to have a direct relative also a channel. At least she knows what it is like to be one of us."

Levi looked up and around, he was slouching against a wall under a bridge and it was raining. He saw the homeless guy that had let him stay under his bridge on the street with a cup for money, and nobody out to give him any money. The rain slowed to a stop, and the clouds moved out of the suns way. Levi smiled.

"We don't belong in this world, Alice."

Levi was angry as he thought about his circumstances.

"I'm trying not to be noticed, but it seems everywhere that I go there's people who have it out for me. I can't just kill them. Well I could, but.... I resist. And sometimes it is so hard.
Sometimes I think I should just kill them. Kill them all. Not the people who are okay, but the discriminate protestors, the SDD and everyone who tries to pick on me. They'd do the same to me. But I'll be fine as long as there's charge in my phone, even if 90% of the time I'm alone."

Levi listened to a lot of Eminem, so occasionally he'd make up his own rhymes. In this case he got the idea of an Eminem line but completely changed it, normally it was made up on the spot. This was, but he saw the similarities.

"I seen something on the news the other day, I think there's a channel around here... I'm not sure if I should be glad or afraid of him/her. Im trying to find them but I think they're moving. I don't know.
But back to you, stay safe. Let me know about anything that happens please, and if you ever need me there I'll come for you. It may sound creepy, but I swear I'm not some 50 year old pedo. I'm only 36"

It was a really long message, Levi realized, but being homeless and having only his bag, bike and phone he didn't really have much to do. Alice encouraged him to open up, but he wasn't sure if she expected so much trouble. He was venting in as gentle way as he could, but there was a lot of complaints.

"Stay safe, sorry for the complaints. I gotta go now." Levi sends the message.

He gets up, takes his headphones out of his pants pocket. He was wearing a red shirt and cargo pants, he slung his backpack over his shoulders and picked up his bike. He had 67%, he needed to find a library or some other public place he could plug in his phone before it died. He went through his phone a bit, chose the song 'Cinderella man' by Eminem and couldn't help feel like it was relatable to himself with 1 particular line.

"There's a storm coming that the weather man couldn't predict," Eminem rapped into Levi's ears. "You bet there is." Levi thought to himself. He always dreamed of having powers, but he can't exactly do what he thought he could do. He would rather have powers and be homeless than powerless and in a mansion, though. He bike rides through the streets for hours. He's on a huge motorway now, cars flying past at top speeds. He slows his bike to a stop and rests for roughly fifteen minutes, wishing he could just fly.

He could, but his mother couldn't, where was she? This has happened before and once she didn't show up for nearly 3 weeks, this time it had been 4 days. Levi's phone goes off and he checks it, "Heading back to Australia to deal with some family issues. Won't be back for a long time. Love you xoxo"
"What... The fl*ff..." Levi said aloud. "What the absolute fl*ff!?" He shouted. He got off his bike, and prepared to crush his bike with his mind. That way he could travel, fly, without having to carry his bike. But he couldn't bring himself to do it, this bike had served him for so long. Helped him get away from so many bullies, it had just done so much.

He picked it up, and flew back to the bridge he had stayed in the night before. An hour later, the bike had been donated to the homeless man. It takes him just a fraction of the time to travel compared to when he is bike riding, he was free of burdens now. He had his backpack on, but that was it. It only had 3 water bottles and a jumper in it, the rest of his possessions were in his pockets. Ultimately he left the bag with his water and jumper with the homeless man too, and went into an alleyway and flew off.

With his weather control he conjured clouds to mask his flying, so no one down below would see him. He was at peace up here, but he was still angry. He decided he would head to the airport and follow a plane heading for a Australia, hopefully he could keep up flight for that long.

He made his way to the nearest airport, receiving directions from his phone. He stopped around 15 minutes away, and made his way to the ground. He couldn't land closer as it was too high profile, he landed on a roof and made his way through the building.

As he walked the streets he was pissed off and angry, the streets were busy and the buildings tall. As he was walking he bumped into someone and the man in his mid thirties spilled his coffee all over himself. "What the hell, you moron!?" He spat at the 17 year old. "It was a mistake." Levi grunted, pissed off himself. "I don't care mate, look what you've done! You've gone and done, I work 12 hour days and need this coffee-" The man started rambling on, and Levi just zoned out gazing into space as mentally rearranged this mans face.

"Oi! Oi are you listening to me? Un-freaking-believable. You people are the worst kind. You people... Just-" The man was ranting, Levi cut him off. "You know what?" Levi snapped, "You're making me so mad I could just..." He began, then there was a thundering sound from the sky. He was drawing in a storm, and he lifted the overweight middle aged businessman with his mind. The unnamed mans demeanor changed instantly, shifting from one of anger to one of cowardice and fear.

Levi slowly started to crush him, his eyes filled with a hatred and rage only the man on the receiving end of pain could see. Until at the back of his head his conscience came back to life, and he let the man down. He ran off shouting in fear, warning people of the dangerous channel. Levi continued toward the airport.

Who would have known that with a moldable body, it would actually be possible to sleep comfortably on top of a couple trash cans. After such a discovery, Edward had spent an entire night in that dark alley, sharing his last thoughts with a few rats, an abandoned cat, and a crow that somehow ended up there searching for food. Reed rolled out of his steely bed and reshaped himself back. Once he heard the unnatural click in his right knee, he would know that the transformation was complete. The clothes he had taken from the last slaughter in a mall were on the ground. It was nothing very classy. A dark jacket with matching jeans, both on the ground, accompanied by a pair of brown boots. After putting those on, he would be ready to hit the streets. In his pocket, there was a small wallet with at least three dollars inside.

Unfortunately for Edward, he didn't know New York well enough to remember any bar where he would be able to get his breakfast. Because of such ignorance, he would be limping aimlessly around the city. Fortunately, there weren't any youngsters around by then, or else he would be fated to hear them contracting their annoying laughs, and probably would burst in rage uncontrollably, reducing the chances of getting breakfast that day to zero.

After a few minutes of random limping, Edward finally came accross a café. It looked good, from the outside, a large estabilishment at the bottom of a tall building. Outside, several wooden tables were displayed in their own order, each with a transparent glass ashtray, for it was forbidden to smoke inside. After going through the white steel door, Edward found himself in a large room, brightly painted, with its white iron tables displayed in the same order as outside. A waitress, dressed in a white uniform, was behind the counter, cleaning some mugs to prepare the bar for the customers it would host that day. "Good morning." She said, without a smile nor any expression. "Morning... I would like a cup of coffee and a croissant with cheese." He said as an Abraham Lincoln's bill landed on the white marble counter. "Keep the change, I don't feel greedy..." Edward added, pulling a stool closer to him and sitting on it. Both greed and money wouldn't do anyone any good if Reed would be able to carry out his plan.

Not very long after the payment, his meal would be ready, and Edward would take a sip of his coffee before going for the first bite in his croissant. "Would you like anything else?" She asked as the Hunter shook his head. "No, thanks..." The girl would then go back to her work, and allow Edward to truly enjoy his meal. At least for a while, until two men in suits came in as well, and got too close for simple strangers. "Reed, you are coming with us. You are surrounded." They said professionally, taking each a gun out of their jackets. "Who?" Edward said, with the cup still locked between his hands, quite annoyed, not wanting conflicts during the morning. "Stop lying, Hunter! You are Edward Reed! Stand up!" The tall man pushed his chair back and did as he was told, letting his size speak for itself. "Why don't you prove it?" Out of quick thought, one of them aimed his gun to Edward's heart and shot, making the waitress succumb to her fear and flinch behind the counter. The hole caused by the bullet would soon erupt with a green ooze, confirming the men's suspicions."Come with us. Now!"

" I'm gonna miss you sooo much..!" Evelyn said to her best friend Heather... " Relax, everything is going to be alright from now on, i knew that this would happen, that you would have had enough.. that you would need to break free... I'm gonna miss you too... Promice me that you'll stay safe!" Heather said... " I will once I'm safe ... There are other Channels in the USA... I will have to find them, I haven't opened up to anyone from them,I bareley chat with them, but I will find out where they are, and I'll prove that not all of us are evil!" Destiny said.. " Good luck with that! I'll talk to you soon! But you need to go! Your flight leaves NOW! Go!! " They said their last goodbyes and Evelyn bolted off, boarding the plane at the last moment! She was free... She felt good...For the moment...
A few hours later, she arrived at the airport, "This is it! Hello new life, hello new me and hello other channels" she thought to herself... She overheard a group of people talking about them... The Channels. " They need to be exterminated... ALL OF THEM" said one man. The others agreed.. She couldn't hold her temper any more! She went over there, her eyes filled with anger... She attacked the man. "Never underestimate a Channel! " Soon there were Soldiers all around her... She fought them, but they were too many, they all hit her simultaneously, bringing her down on her knees... One of her legs was seriously injured, she couldn't walk or run... There was no storm around for her to leave.. It was a sunny day... They tied her hands so that she couldn't use her powers... "This is the end... I imagined it differently... " there was no hope... She closed her eyes and waited for her painfull death - more like an execution... Her life flashed right in front of her eyes... Her wonderfull childhood... Her tough teen years (that she continued to have), the day that she found out her powers... Her parents, her friends... Her parents, she hadn't talked to them scince the accident, even though they searched for her, even though they wanted to help... She wanted to call them and tell them that she loves them... It was all over though... She couldn't do anything...

As Levi entered the airport he noticed the crowds were fleeing, he made his way through the lobby and to where one would board the planes. A plane had just arrived in from Greece. There was a few chairs, a receptionist desk and a huge open space. "Flight arriving in Utah, coming in from Greece." He read on the big screen.

And the most surprising feature of all, a young woman with a gun to her head. There was a lot of soldiers, SDD, and this woman had her hands and legs bound. "She was attacking some civies, we got her under control quick. Damn hunters." A soldier reported it on his radio. Levi's heart sunk and he felt nautious, he was about to take on the SDD.

Morally he couldn't let this happen, she was likely one of his kind. He could have someone like him right there in front of him, someone like him. Someone who was actually with him, not just on the internet. It would be someone new.

News reporters were already in, with at least 2 news helicopters. He called in a powerful thunder storm, it slowly rolled in over the hills. Using his telekinesis he broke apart her restraints, she looked up and a soldier whacked her in the gut. "It wasn't me!" She pleaded, Levi knocked down the four surrounding soldiers with a telekinetic push. He ran over to her, put a hand on her shoulder. "We're leaving, now!" He yelled. They both got up and began to run, using their powers to incapacitate anyone who got in their way. The storm only made things dramatic thus far, but he had a trick he was about to pull.

They ran out of the airport via shattering the glass that made up the walls and proceeded to run out into the streets. "Man how many of these guys are there!?" Levi shouted as bullets came flying their way. He managed to shield them via telekinetic shield for a split second, but it wouldn't save them.

With all his might he stirred the winds, he held up his arm and drew in the storm so it was right above them and he created a tornado. He made it push out in front of them at their 10 o clock direction, but with the powerful wind and most things being flung into it the air the woman he had saved was knocked over the back of the head with a bin. "Oh come on!" He shouted, this tornado wouldn't last very long. He scooped her up into his arms and began to run, since she was unconscious he lifted them both up and flew as fast as he could.

He flew for a solid hour in one direction, until suddenly he couldn't take it anymore. He began to descend a bit too fast, and realized he couldn't carry her anymore. His arms felt like jelly, he dropped her and she made her way down the what he thought was 50 thousand feet. He wasn't worried, until he seen he wasn't as high up in the air as he thought. They were about the height of the Empire State doubled, she had about one minute before she turned into paste.

He flew down as fast as he could and caught her, then steadily landed on the long road in Nevada. It was mountainous and dry all around them, they were basically in the middle of nowhere. He lay her down on the road, then lay down himself. He wanted to give her something to use as a pillow but he didn't have his bag or jacket anymore and using his arm would creep her for when she was awake. Then he remembered it, she was hit on the back of the head.

Concussion!?

He got up and frantically bolted over to her, he roll her onto her side and checked her head. He felt where there seemed to be a little bit of blood in her hair, but he wasn't sure it was hers. Feeling the back of her head revealed a slight lump. He decided to leave her rolled onto her side as it kept the wound off of the ground, even though it doesn't seem to have opened her head. He was far from a doctor. He sat next to her for quite sometime, with her back toward him.

He was physically and mentally drained, creating the tornado and flying for this long really look it out of him. He felt like if he used anymore of his powers his mind would burst, it hurt, he needed a rest. It was like he just did a massive workout at the gym and went way above his weight class, not that he went to the gym.

Around half an hour passed when he heard a soft groan coming from the girls lips, and her breathing increased in pace. He put his hand on her shoulder while she was still laying down, before she had a chance to get up. If he could keep her calm, this situation would be a whole lot better.

"It's okay, you're safe now, you hit your head while we were escaping." Levi said, "I saved you."

Today was a day for business, and Carlos was always very hands on with certain facets of his business; like eliminating the personal parasites that grew like tumours upon his ‘industry’.

He and his close entourage perused the streets of Juarez in a big black pick up, shiny with a double-long cab for a back seat and reversed double doors. It commanded a respect that you wouldn’t earn in a blacked out limo or supercar – the respect of the outsiders, people who were not involved in any facet of the world Carlos was a player in. See that’s a man who hasn’t forgotten his roots they say, that’s a man who hasn’t lost touch.

They pulled up outside a building that called itself a gym, a building that leant and bore down upon itself neighbours to its left and was kept together with plaster and fillers that were proving to be as effective as pressing band aids over it. Carlos stepped from the vehicle and breathed deep – he had predatory senses and he had been on the hunt for a rat for a long time.

John didn’t notice anyone moving behind him, or the sudden hush. Trainers stopped calling punches and the gym fell quiet except for the scratchy music on the radio.

“Hey Juan,” Carlos said. “¿Cómo te va?”

He looked at the man whom he addressed in the Spanish equivalent to his gringo name. He could see a pig in gym sweats by the way the man was perspiring and the smell made his nose sting. In the handshake, John’s hands were heavy – he had run out of steam for this game, but Carlos was intent on running him into the ground with it.

He stepped up and mimed a body punch. “Looking good, Juan. You lost some weight. About one sixty, huh?”

John nodded dumbly, trying to save face and dignity with directing pants through flaring nostrils rather than an open mouth. His sweating increased despite non-exertion. Prey sense when they have eyes upon them.

“That’s good. Real good. Nice to see you working so hard.”

“Yeah, well I-“

“Listen, Juan, I heard you were looking for me sometime last week. I got somewhere to be, but if you have some time…?”

“Now?”

Carlos tapped the expensive yet tasteful watch. “Ahora.”

Around the gym a few fighters went back to the workouts. Trainers turned their backs on both of them, the herd knowing what was best for them. John was beginning to feel the cold onset of fear, he knew those around him were shutting him out, leaving him on his own.

“Alright,” John said. “Give me a minute to clean up.”

“Don’t take too long.”



Carlos waited beside the idling pick-up as John got himself cleaned up in the ‘changing rooms’. He finally emerged and the Mexican noticed a slight sheen to the pasty skin making him wonder whether it was shower water or a fresh wave of perspiration.

The bed of the pick-up was loaded with plastic cat crates lashed down with bright green and red bungee cords. In each crate was a resting cock, bright feathered and healthy.

“Alright,” Carlos said. “Let’s get going . There’s no room up front. Ride in the back.”



They drove almost an hour until they reached a long, low building on the far side of Ciudad Juarez. Carlos knew John had never been here yet even your average foreigner could recognize was it was if they knew anything about Carlos’ country: it was a Palenque where fighting cocks did battle. It wasn’t a spot for turistas, and the neighbourhood was rotting into the desert flats where broad sprawls of colonias held sway. Carlos was giving back into his ‘community’.

Carlos got out and so did his men – including John, who saw one of the darkly clothed entourage wore a gun open on his hip. The air smelled of dust and when the wind shifted the odour of open sewage pits carried from the south. Carlos ruffled his hair free from grit.

“Come on, Juan. Let’s go inside, have a cerveza, alright?”

They left the men to unload the cocks in their plastic cat crates. Carlos led the way. There was a shift to fluorescent lighting that blinded men until their eyes adjusted and when they did they would see the unpainted concrete walls festooned with graffiti and posters, the terraced benches around the fighting pit and, on the far side, a lively beer bar crowded with men. The terraces were almost empty, but already there were cocks fighting.

“You ever come to the Palenque, Juan?” Carlos asked, the question intended to lull false cordiality.

“No.” John answered with a very slight tremor.

“This is fighting,” Carlos smiled, by far having the best set of teeth in the place. “You know I love the boxing, but there is nothing better than this. Even when los perros fight…it’s not the same.”

Carlos smelled blood, but in the bar there was too much smoke, beer and the odour of bodies and so the whiff of blood vanished. Carlos got two bottles of Tecate and presented one to John.

“Salud, dinero, amor y tiempo para disfrutarlo todo,” Carlos told John and it was bottoms up. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, betraying his common roots through unconscious motions. “I have six cocks fighting today. Good animals, the best money can buy…I like the pure fighting, you know?”

“That’s what you said,”

“How much fighting are you doing these days, Juan?”

It sounded like a challenge and John tried to shrug casually. “Not much. I’ve been training.”

“And you look muy bueno, Juan. Better than ever. Listen my friend, I know you like to fight and that you want to earn some money, so maybe you want to hear about this. I have some clients that like the pure fighting. Not boxing, but traditional. You know what I mean?”

“Not really.” The walls were closing in.

“Bare hands,” Carlos’ green eyes flashed, “like they used to in the old days.”

“B-but, there’s no sanction for fighting like that,” John stuttered and puffed his chest out to correct himself, appearing a type of confidence his voice didn’t match.

Carlos spread his hands wide. Around them, men were filing out of the bar area and down to the terraces. “You think everything that happens has to have paperwork? This is a good time, Juan. Lots of money. You can even get your dick wet; lots of girls at these things. Pretty girls. Young girls.”

“I got a girl.”

“Yeah, you got a ballbusting puta,” Carlos almost snarled, making a face. “Some people, they think maybe she’s the one with the cock, you know?”

John had his buttons pushed when it came to his girl and he pushed his ‘promoter’ without even thinking about it properly. If he had, he wouldn’t have just done that. The silence between them was deafening.

“I want to get back up there,” John said finally.

Carlos shook his head slowly. He half-smiled, took a swig and the laughed out loud. “Don’t you get it? Nobody wants to see some washed-up bolillo in the ring with decent fighters. You get paid to bleed. You ain’t any kind of contender. This is it, okay? Nobody in Juarez would touch a fluffing junkie gringo but me.”

“I’m not a junkie.”

“Whatever you say, John. You think I don’t know those marks on you, huh?”

John crossed his arms unconsciously. Carlos saw his shortness of breath.

“I-I can do better. We have respect.”

“’Respect’? When you got respect for me then you do me a favour after all the favours I’ve done for you naco. Where do you think I get the money to pay you? You think I’m some kind of asshole you can take for a ride, like those fluffing turistas I have you and that zurramato Estéban peddle dope to?”

“That’s got nothin’ to do with nothin’,” John protested, but Carlos ignored him as though he hadn’t said a word.

“You stupid fluff. Talk about respect to me? This is my country, pendejo, this is my city. You want to talk your white bullplops to me? Is that it, cabrón!”

It was soon all over, smashing the bottle on the side of the bar in one fluid, deft movement, Carlos turned the face-shredder on John before the other man could do anything to stop it. Right across the face, catching the eyes as the Mexican put power behind it and dragged it across. The ‘gringo’ fell to the floor, body fitting in shock.

Nobody battered an eye. Carlos wiped down his casual shirt and slacks.

“Take the wire off him and mail it to the cops…they want to play with someone like me?” He told one of his men that approached wearing wraparound gargoyles and a black shirt.

“fluffing bolillo.”

Another man approached him from his flank, a mobile in an outstretched hand.

“¿Quién es?”

“Moscú.”

He chose to accept the call – Moscow business was often importance business;

“Zdravstvuyte , Sanches govorya.”

Evelyn wakes up and sees that she's in the hot and ramshackle dessert, the airport nowhere to be found, then she hears a voice ""It's okay, you're safe now, you hit your head while we were escaping. I saved you." She turned the other way and saw a man lying right next to her! She was shocked, she struggled to stand up, but collapsed while trying. "Who are you and most importantly where are we? " she looked at him, "Answer me! NOW!" she was prepared to throw a thunder at him, but had second thoughts after seeing him lying down, trying to catch his breath... She waited for her answer, thinking about what had happened. The only thing in her mind right now is where is her bag and most importantly her phone. She looked around her, it was nowhere in her line of sight. The man then answered with "Calm down, it's okay. My name is Levi, I'm a channel but I don't want to hurt you. With the way they abused you back there I'd say you're a channel too." Levi has a look around, "I think we're in Nevada."

"By the way, I'm Evelyn. Sorry about my aggression earlier but it was quite a shock for me... You see, I came here to find peace for a little while and then search for the other.." she took a quick look around them, to see if anyone was near them. " The other Channels, that live around here, so that I can prove once and for all that not all of us seek Destruction, Mayhem or War. But that doesn't seem to work out these days.." she lowered her head and a single teardrop fell onto the steaming road.

"Yeah... I wish people could understand us, but they never will. And if it helps, you found me, and I took you somewhere we can find peace. Even if it is temporary..." Levi noticed a tear rolling down her cheek, and couldn't help but feel a pang of nausea. He hated seeing people upset when they didn't deserve it. "I'm going to hug you now, if that's alright..." He slowly said as he brought her in for a hug. " It's ok, do whatever you want".

" Also.. have you seen anywhere around here a black and white backpack? I'm in a dire need of it, because inside it I have my phone and wallet, and a couple of clothes but i couldn't care less about the clothes" She said. Levi picked up the bag that was at his feet, and threw it to her. She caught it. "Yeah, was a real bitch trying to carry you both, but I managed." "Thank you... for saving me, for caring enough to take my bag with us, for carrying me over here, away from danger. How can I ever repay you for saving my life? " she says, her eyes glowing with hope and trust.

"Uhh... I don't know, I can't think of anything... I didn't do it so you would pay me back, I did it because you deserve better. Um, maybe just like... Maybe stay with me for a while? We'd have a better chance of surviving and our faces are all over the news." Destiny smiles "Deal" she said ,she then takes off her leather jacket, which was closed the whole time, revealing her blue lace shirt, she then shoves it in her backpack and takes out a spray which she used on the wound, barely holding her scream "This will help the wound heal faster" and then tied it with a long piece of elastic cloth, tying it on the back. She then takes out a black and spiceberry phone which looked like the latest iPhone, but.. Different, instead of the apple trademark, it had a star on the back and a transparent plexiglass case. "Now to answer the question about how important my phone and my gadgets are. I'm also a techWiz and without it, I'd probably still be in my cage at the prison, trying to find some way to escape, or in the worst case, Dead!" she laughs a little, but timidly.

"Shall we be off then?" she asked, while tending her hair a bit with a brush she took out of her backpack, noticing the blood and remaining calm. Levi pointed at her, opened his mouth to say something, then didn't say anything. He put his arm down. "We shall, but uh... I don't know." He said, seemingly unsure about something. "You," He said pointing at her a moment, "Look amazing." He said. He then pulled his phone out, and began writing a short message. Then he looked back up to Evelyn. "You have a beautiful name by the way, not trying to sound creepy..." He looks at the ground, a little embarrassed of making a fool out of himself. "You don't sound creepy at all! And thanks." she smiled at him, in a bit of awkwardness.

They traveled down the road for a little while, until they found a small diner. It was a basic restaurant and didn't have many other guests. Evelyn and Levi started making small talk after sitting in a booth by the window.
" Where do you live these days" Evelyn asks Levi.

The waiting was the worse part, Chris had been in the same waiting room for over an hour. The plain white walls, the single hand clock hanging on the middle of the small square room had near driven him crazy. He had been told shortly after he got back from his previous mission to report to the fiftieth floor of the SDD building at exactly 8 a.m., it was now 9.30. He had been on the edge of his seat for a while not sure what was going to happen to him. A few thoughts did go through his mind, perhaps he would be put to death unlikely due to the fact he was one a the very few channels who actually worked with the SDD, or perhaps he would be sent off to some remote corner of the planet with nothing but a can of soup to keep him company.

"He will see you know." the middle aged secretary called to him from across the room, the sudden sound of her voice surprised him and he almost knocked over his chair as he hastily stood up. He entered the room and took in his surroundings, the room was large with dark walls and ceiling with the only light coming out of the large window straight across the room. On either side of the office were book shelves with sores of large books most of which were faded so it was near impossible to tell what they once said. Occupying the majority of the room was a larger than necessary desk made out of a unknown type of wood, and sitting behind that large desk was an equally large man. The man wore a black finely pressed suit with a black tie, he had a round face giving Chris the impression that he over enjoyed the comforts of life, he had grey hair with a receding hair line and beady eyes that darted from once place to another like he was incapable of holding eye contact or a few seconds.

He cleared his throat snapping Chris back to reality
"So your Chris Lopez, member of reconnaissance group 14, subdivision 3, you are also it seems a Hunter." he said with a slight distaste creeping in his voice.
"It appears you failed to capture the assigned Hunter in Seattle." He paused and Chris realized he was waiting for an answer.
"OH, Ummm...Yes. I mean yes sir" The man merely grunted in reply as if he expected no less.
"Well Mr. Lopez it seems we have quite a problem then...What we would normally do would terminate your job as of immediately but you are NOT a normal case." He said placing emphasis on "not", "So my higher ups saw it fit to give you another chance" Again the man paused on Chris relied as quickly as he could,
"Yes sir. Thank you sir." He merely grunted again in reply,
"So what we are going to do is give you and your team another assignment." When no location was given Chris spoke up
"Umm, sir where exactly is this new assignment." The man sitting across from him gave himself a small chuckle
"Why, D.C. this nations beautiful capital."


The next day Chris and his two companions were on a plane to the capital, they had left early in the morning after Chris's appointment and were currently sitting on a packed plane waiting for it to take off. Finally Paul spoke up,
"Geeze they could have at least sent us first class not economy." He said in a exasperated voice "I mean who's this Channel we're suppose to track anyway?" It was Ellie who answered, "We don't know, and do I really have to tell you again? Don't speak so loudly!" She exclaimed throwing her hand up , Paul merely shrugged. "All we do know is that the hunter is somewhere in the D.C. area and we have to find him or her." She finished back in her normal voice. Chris spoke up after listening to the two talk, "Yeah but that's easier said then done." Chris remarked putting his earphones back in to wait for the plane to eventually take off.

The men in black grew impatient, their fingers always curled around the triggers. Edward hadn't bothered to cover his 'wound', and because of such behaviour, the white floor would be flooded with a toxic green in a matter of seconds. "Come... with... us!" Reed gazed into them very quickly, just before gathering his strength with a sigh.

The matter exploded out of the café and pushed the two men against a black car, parked in the opposite side of the road. They stood back up without much trouble, despite the two large dents on the car they had been thrown at. "Open fire!" One of them yelled. Edward wasn't given enough time to leap at his enemies before two snipers would reveal themselves at the peek of a short building, and two men armed with SMGs and vests jumped out of a van. Reed didn't even flinch as the bullets blasted through his limbs and head, splattering his slime around him. He got weaker at every shot fired at him, but he wasn't in the mood to pay attention to such details. Without effort or remorse, Edward shifted into the non-human form, melting down as a human, and reforming as a two-legged slimey monster. In that form, no gun could actually hurt him for good. Step after step towards the two men in suits, the shots increased in frequency, and so did their doubts. Once he was at melee closure, Reed hardened his right hand and shaped it into a ball, the best he could at least. It took one swing to throw one of them back inside the café, and this time, make him stay inside. The other one managed to get out of the way just before Edward crushed the black car, which granted him some time to gather up with the other two men that were on the same floor as him. Instead of shooting, the two men in vests took out of their belts a grenade each. That would actually do serious damage to Reed, even in his slime form. But explosions weren't anything he hadn't faced before. The large Channel melted down into a moving pool of slime, with a laugh of his grotesque voice that always came to him once he transformed. "Hahahahahahahaha... If you are afraid, why not listening to your instincts?" None of the three men would have time to reply before Edward would already be below them, rooting their feet in the same place. "I can't move!" Being Reed so close to them at that time, none of the men could actually throw a grenade, and so, they chose to fire like madmen at the ground. The green substance slowly climbed through their legs, making movement more and more limited. Then, it proceeded to their thorax and arms, forbidding both snipers from shooting, at the danger of harming their companions. At last, Edward covered their heads in slime as well, cutting their last breath, only ceasing the strangling once he felt their strength completely faded.

Four would be gone, and two would be left. As Edward ceased the hugging of the three corpses, the snipers would already be running away through the rooftops, not wanting to share a similar fate. The large slime split himself in two smaller copies, and each would stretch its arms to the highest window they could reach, climbing their way to the top of the building where the snipers were. Once at the top, Edward and his other self would have no issue finding the two fleeing soldiers. His speed would be his weakness, shouldn't he have used two antennas to slingshoot himself forward, crushing one of the cowards on impact and landing in front of the last one, who chose to kneel and plead for his life. "Please! I was just following orders!" His mimicked clone caught up on them and rejoined Edward, making him double his size back to normal. "I will give you a quick death!" Reed said without the slightest empathy, as he stretched his arm to twice its length. The man tried to scream, but the long arm-rope would already be tangled around his neck, just before Edward pushed the man off the edge of the same building, hanging him without remorse or regret.


The SDD hadn't given up yet, and Edward would have lost count on the men that had lost their lives while tracking him down. After dropping the corpse, Edward was greeted by an unknown voice behind him. "SDD again? It's such a pity that mankind fears power..." Another man on the roof would surely mean a battle coming up, and Reed hardened his fists in honor of that thought. "What do you want?!" He thundered, turning around, to find a young man, in a casual set of jeans+t-shirt, behind him, without fear, unlike the other ones he had just killed. "Relax. I don't bite..." Edward hated games, word tricks, sarcasm, and jokes, and since he knew that he did, it didn't take him long to rage into making the man spit out his intentions. "You will either spit out your plans, or your teeth!" The man turned at him with a psychotic grin, which, much to Edward's dislike, surprised him. "Such hostility to a fellow Channel? A Hunter, as they call us... and you make it even harder by not granting your kind some decency?" While it wasn't usual of Edward's to always look at the people he met, he felt that he shouldn't give that man the chance of becoming unseen again. "The SDD is gone... There is your decency." The grin went away, and was replaced by a thoughtful, almost sane look, by the part of that blonde, pale youngster. "Yes, you made me happy. But why are they after you?" Edward rolled over his eyes, bored by such a question. "Anyone who opposes mankind's conformism will get trampled and destroyed... That is, until that anyone becomes a monster who seeks to erase these parasites from Earth!" Reed shared, uncomfortably, preparing himself to crush the man where he stood. "So you wish to destroy everyone? That's it? I must say as an 8 foot tall slimey monster you have boring aspirations." After punching one hand with the other, Edward prepared to charge back into hostility. "Yes... Well, I am glad you knew your kind's fate before you fell out of this building..." The weirdo turned his expression into one of anger mixed with amusement. "I already told you I am a Channel! And as a Channel, I will tell you that there is another way of getting rid of mankind, without filling so many graves." Edward finally lowered his fists and became willing to listen. "You better not be wasting my time." The maddening smile returned after a brief moment of lucidity, and he lead the way through the rooftops as he spoke. "Don't worry! Right this way!"

So there Brom stood. He with his hands in the air and a frustrated scowl on his face. He saw the man with the gun smirk proudly, taking the gun off of the girl and pointing it at him. The goons with him did the same.

"How very nice of you, Robasdon. It almost makes me wonder if there is something even closely redeemable about you freak shows." He waved his hand toward his men, who started side-stepping around Brom, hoping to get behind him fast enough before things got ugly.

The man continued his self-righteous speech. "But I think we all know better than that. Too many innocent people died because of monsters like you."

While Brom ignored the man, he noticed that one of his goons had not followed instruction, and had instead stayed behind. His masked face made it impossible to discern his appearance, but the wink he gave Brom was unmistakable.

"And now, we get to take you out of the equation. One of the more dangerous channels. I can see us all getting payraises when we take you in, hot-shot."

Then situation began to get a bit harrier.

The grunt behind him spoke up, shortly after turning his gun on his boss. "I believe I've heard enough of your self-righteous gloating. Don't you agree Brom?"

Every gun in the room switched to him, obviously confused by the question. The head man kept his eyes on Brom, clearly not afraid of the rogue cop.

Brom himself didn't recognize the voice, and was still surprised that the situation was beginning to take a turn.

The man spoke, his eyes or gun not leaving Brom. "Gentlemen, please take care of our little turncoat. I'll keep my eye on the prize."

The men then immediately opened fire, letting every bullet they had fly toward the rogue cop, who seemed unfazed. They looked to be doing this frighten Brom and the girl, to show them they weren't above killing their own.

They finally stopped firing, and they all looked to the cop, horrified. Every shot went through him, that fact was obvious. However, he stood there, his gun still trained on the head man, who seemed to realize the situation was no longer under control. The rogue cop exposed his face from his mask, and spoke loud for Brom to hear.

"Ready for some fun kid?"

Guns started frantically turning to both the cop and Brom in panic.

Brom smiled, his eyes starting to glow in that vibrant red.

"About damn time."

The atmosphere of the room went from hopeless hostage situation to all out fire fight in a matter of moments.

Brom's hands lit up, and he charged directly at the man who hurt Krys. The man, still shocked from the turn of events, didn't realize he still had leverage in the standoff.

Brom got right in front of him, and with his right fist still blazing, ran it straight through the man's center, and twisted it, making sure his insides were cooking before he pulled his arm out. The man fell to the floor, his body convulsing from the shock.

Then, he started dragging Krys away, while he watched the cop take care of some of the goons.

He was no longer carrying his gun, but instead was using an even more reliable weapon.

Water jets torrented from his palms, sending the men who were going for him flying.

One eventually got too close, and the man twisted his arms around in some kind of martial arts pose, and a ball of water formed around him, creating a strong shell.

Look's like Brom was the hot commodity anymore. This man was a channel too.

Brom placed Krys on the floor on the opposite side of he room, then flipped the couch over so she wouldn't get hit as easily by his fire or the cop's super soakers.

He finally returned to the fray, and fire began to weave itself up his arms. Then, after a moment, Brom flipped his wrists, and the weaved fire un-wrapped itself, becoming two long blazing whips.

It was time for some fun.

Brom stepped forward, saw some of them give up on the man, and go for him. Brom flipped on of his whips, and it cut the first one deep, way too deep to recover. His body crumpled lifelessly to the floor.

The second started for him, desperately hoping that he could do something to Brom before he went down.

Instead, Brom sent both whips flying, both of them wrapping around the man, and he yanked hard, ripping the blazing whips though the man's chest.

He fell just like the first.

Before Brom could continue the fun, however, he noticed that there were only two left, and they were preoccupied on the cop's water shell.

Brom almost went for them, but stopped short.

The cop's shell dropped for just a moment, long enough for his arms to fly out, and grip both of the goons by the mouth. He then forced them down, until the only thing keeping them down was his strength.

Brom was unsure of what the man was trying to accomplish, until he saw them squirming and hacking.

Water was bursting from his hands at hydrant speed, effectively and rather forcibly drowning the two grunts.

Finally, their bloated bodies stopped kicking, and the man stopped. Brom just stared on, surprised just how deadly water could be.

Then his memory kicked him.


Krys!

He scrambled over the couch and, to his relief, found her still breathing. He then looked over the couch toward the cop, who seemed to be taking a breather.

"Thanks, man. You saved both of us." The man shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's my job to keep people like us from getting killed by people like them. Is the girl okay?"

Brom nodded, looking down to Krys, who was mouthing her thanks.

Brom looked up, to see the cop already standing above them. "Yeah, she should be okay. I have some things in my bag that should make the pain go away."

He started off, and Brom called for him.

"What's your name, man?"

The man turned around and, rather hesitantly, answered. "The name's Alexander Troy. A name that the SDD won't forget for a very long time."

With that, the man left, to gather his supplies to help Krys.

By the time Alice responded, it was late, but Izzy took the time to read the message through.

Thanks for replying Izzy. I guess I do have it better than most Channels and that's part of why I feel so sad on days like this. I mean, there are lots of Channels out there that are constantly looking over their shoulders, worrying about day to day stuff. Then there's me, the girl who gets to have a normal life with school and friends and parents who love me. In that light, it makes being bullied at school trite and trivial by comparison. That's part of why I'm kind of afraid to say anything. Mom says I shouldn't be. That I need to talk to the school counselor about this but Britney might take advantage of that somehow. Like she'll eternally call me weak due to that. Even if she's barred from making trouble for me at school, the internet's free territory. I don't know what to do and it's getting to the point where I just don't want to go to school anymore. Mom said that I have to keep going. That if I hide at home than Britney wins, but it seems like no matter what she does she never gets in trouble for it. Almost like she can just charm her way out of anything.

Also, I'm guessing from your reply that you were a bit rushed? I know it's a lot to ask, but do you think you could go over my day again? See if any of this has happened to you and tell me how you dealt with it? It's selfish, I know, asking you to basically redo your RE:, but I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks for reading, as always. I'm better now than when I wrote that message. I've had time to shower and attend to my hair and makeup so I look properly human. Mom and I went to Wendy's and we took Jess with us so that was fun. Dad gave me a big hug when he got home and it's about 7 here and I'm in my pj's now. They're a one piece and have feet. I love them

Thanks again Izzy *hugs*

Izzy's heart almost melted, and she wrote a short reply:

Sorry, Alice, yeah, I was a little rushed. I'm a bit short on money right now, so I've had to put up one of my rooms for let. The new housemate was moving in today, so I had to reply quickly.
As for how I dealt with things like that; well, I never had to deal with them. My powers manifested after I left school, and after I came to the States, nobody knew about them. The only people that rejected me were my parents when I was 18; so I rejected them too. I refused any contact with them, and just ignore it everyday. You don't have to worry about that; your parents are good people, who won't turn in their daughter based on prejudice alone.
And any girl who's name is Britney and bullies a girl like you is pretty much the end-point of devolution. Trust me, nothing good'll come out of her life. Your life, on the other hand, will be happy and wonderful, the moment Britney no longer has a part in it. If you can learn to ignore her, that moment will come all the quicker.

At that point, Izzy was intending to turn off her computer and get to sleep, but Alice's reply came sooner than expected.

Maybe. I just don't get why she has it so much easier than me. How come here life is perfect and mine's just one bad day after another? It's not fair. Everybody thinks she's infallible except for people who have seen her bad side like my friends and I, but nobody would believe us if we spoke out against her. I guess I could try and ignore her. Blocking her on Facebook, walking by her at school and not listening when she calls out to me, guarding my lunch better so it doesn't get pranked. I still can't believe she did that, god that was just childish. I can't believe people actually thought it was funny.

I feel really bad for you. Your parents throwing you out as soon as they found about your powers? Going to the states at 18? How could someone do that to their own daughter?! My parents doing that is simply unimaginable. That would have taken a great deal of money too. For you to get away I mean. Did you have to steal from your parents or did they give you enough money to not be a problem anymore? I'm not sure which is worse.

Also, there's something else. I had a vision last night about me having a meeting with a government agent. He was very friendly and I left fine as far as I could tell and my visions are not 100% accurate but that worries me. I fully expect the SDD to know who I am, they're the government after all, but the fact that they'll approach me at some point soon worries me. I haven't done anything to expose myself. I should probably tell mom and dad this but...I don't know. I don't want them to freak out or think I did something stupid. I didn't. I'm just a normal girl in high school. What could the SDD possibly want from me? Especially when there are much, much crazier Channels out there. People who deserve the monikor Hunter.

My parents were rich all my life; I had some absurd pocket money allowance that was higher than what most 17-year-olds earned. I never really used it, so I spent it all on getting away. All of it; I had to really build myself up when I got out here.
Anyway, the SDDs are really just after any Channel they can get their hands on. If they can say to the world, "hey, we caught a Hunter", then they've done their job. They don't care if you're a threat or not. The public might, but they don't.
Anyway, I'd better go now. Errands need doing around the house and stuff. Try to ignore Britney.

Okay. Thanks Izzy. You're a really good friend. It sucks that you live on the other side of the country, I'd really love to meet you in person. We'd have so much fun together! It's really inspiring how you've been able to rise out of very little and establish a life for yourself. And in another country no less. I hope that whenever I get out of high school and get out on my own someday that I can be as strong as you. And as brave. There are days where I don't feel either. Some days I cry. Then one of my parents eventually hears me and comes to my rescue and I really wish that didn't have to happen.

And yeah, I guess the SDD has some kind of "Hunter Quota" they have to meet, but they can't just take me on the suspicion of being a Channel. I'm still an American citizen and that still violates my constitutional rights. The government can't throw THOSE out the window, can they? I mean, no one would stand for it. Right?


Izzy grimaced at the final word, wanting to reassure her but not wanting to lie; the SDDs could do whatever the hell they liked, whether government-approved or not. But Alice didn't need to know that just yet. Well, maybe she did, but Izzy couldn't bring herself to give such a brutal ultimatum to such a young, innocent girl. Instead, she gave herself another grimace before turning off the PC and climbing into her pyjamas. Locking the door, she took the money Alexei had left for her and put it into her hidden savings jar before dropping herself into bed and flicking off the light so she could get to sleep.

That night, while Izzy was lying in bed, trying to get to sleep, there was a rattle at the door. She sat up immediately, completely awake, trying to think who would turn up at the door at 1am.
I guess Alexei must have forgotten his key.
She rolled her eyes, standing up and heading for the door, unlocking it and opening it.
"Make sure you remember your k-"

It wasn't Alexei. There was silence as the mobsters stared at her, then they charged in, slamming the door behind them and pushing her to the floor in the living room.
"Where is Krovi? Where is he?!" the mobsters asked in strong Russian accents, pinning her to the ground. Izzy's head was spinning; her head had hit the floor quite hard, and she couldn't get a grasp on her powers yet.
"I don't know."
"You lie, bitch. Where is Krovi?"
"I don't know! He went out earlier today and hasn't come back yet."
There was silence, the mobsters gazing at each other, worried. One held a gun to Izzy's head.
"You, stay quiet. You scream, we kill you. You run, we kill you. Understand?" Izzy nodded, standing up and retreating into the centre of the room. While the mobsters gathered around each other, conversing in Russian, Izzy tried to get a grasp on the air around her. Swirling it around her in a tornado-esque motion, she began to hover while the mobsters began to shout, struggling to move in the wind.
"Trust no-one." Izzy threw balls of light at each mobster in turn, making them yell in pain, holding their eyes. While they stumbled about, Izzy walked to one of them, holding his head and pulling the air out of his lungs. He began to choke, wheezing for air, and eventually collapsed, unconscious, signalling for Izzy to allow the air back in again. She had no intention to kill. By that point, the mobsters had regained their sight. One of the remaining four fired a silenced shot at her, which she rebounded with powerful winds into the knee of another, who screamed and fell to the floor, clutching his shattered kneecap. She then pulled the gun out of his hand, throwing it hard with the wind at the temple of one, which was standing still like a rabbit in headlights. He collapsed, unconscious, Leaving only two able to hurt her. She sent a gust of wind into the ears of the gun-less one, swirling it around and causing great damage to his eardrums, before he collapsed fromthe pain.
However, before she could spin to face the last one, his gun pressed against the side of her head.
"Hunter. I will kill you, bitch, and then I will claim the reward from the SDD and relish the day I faced you."
But before he could loose the shot, his skin began to bubble. He seemed as shocked as Izzy was, and began to shout in shock, before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the floor, dead. Izzy gasped, shuffling back quickly until she was leaned against the sofa.

And when she looked to the door to see who'd saved her, she saw the one person she wasn't expecting.
Alexei was standing there, smiling at her with that little smirk.

He crouched down, searching the pockets of the man he'd just killed.
"I guess I should apologize. If it wasn't for your powers, you'd probably be laying right next to him." He smiled, waving his hand in front of her face, and Izzy immediately felt a sense of relaxation as her pulse slowed and blood pressure decreased. Her open mouth gave useless noise a few times before she could put what she meant into words.
"You... You're a Channel? And your power is... what, control over biological functions?"

Before Alexei could give a complete response, the man with the shattered kneecap gave a particularly loud wail. Izzy, without looking, threw a pen at his temple, hard enough to knock him out but not hard enough to kill him.
"I'd ask you why you didn't tell me, but I'd have to be a bloody idiot not to realise. So instead, how are you so calm about this? You've discovered your roommate's a Channel and killed a man. And all you have to say is that?" She wasn't angry with him, just a little confused, and slightly scared of him, now that he'd killed the mobster in such a terrifyingly painful way.

Alexei pulled an envelope out of one man's pockets, sliding it into his own and grabbing a silenced pistol from one of the mobsters.
"I have discovered worse things than you being a Channel." He paused, crouching next to a mobster and putting the pistol to his unconscious head. "And, I have done worse things than this." He paused, looking away from the pistol and back at Izzy. "But as a Hunter, you know better than anyone; there are things we must do to survive." He pulled the trigger, splattering the mobster's brain matter all over the carpet and ending his life.

Izzy screamed, shuffling back until she hit the wall.
"We have to do things to survive. That doesn't mean killing people!"
While the silence reigned, Izzy thought for a moment; she was letting her own opinion get in the way. She had promised herself that she'd never kill anyone willingly. But maybe these people needed to die. They knew where not one, but two Channels lived, and if they were released, they'd surely return with an SDD entourage.
"Sorry, I guess... I guess you're right." She sighed heavily, looking away from the bodies. "What do we do with the bodies, though?"

Alexei raised an eyebrow.
"I... I don't know. I was hoping you could help me with that. Can't you use your powers to... to blow them away, or something?" Izzy gave him a sarcastic look, that clearly said "No, you idiot, I can't; that'd get us in as much trouble as throwing them in the damn river." Alexei rolled his eyes slightly.

"Maybe not. I know someone who could... dispose of them... But I'd rather not go there."

"Well, it's better than the alternative. The alternative being getting caught with the bodies of all these men. Right now, the choice is either we're charged for murder, or you give your friend a call and deal with them in secret."
Alexei contemplated that for a moment. He didn't look pleased at this turn of events, but he nodded.
"Alright. Izzy, go back to bed; I'll deal with this before the morning."
"You'd better clean the bloody carpets, too." She gave a little smile. "Sorry. See you tomorrow, and hopefully I'll not see these ones."

Shuddering at the sight she'd never wanted to see, she left Alexei to it, shutting her bedroom door behind her and climbing back into bed; but not sleeping. She couldn't sleep after what had just happened. She had no choice but to lie awake all night, hoping that Alexei's lack of thinking ahead hadn't cost her the ability to live freely as she had been doing for years. Because if it had, she might just break her one rule.

The instantly recognizable sound of Taptalk's tri-tone alert going off on her phone shook Alice from her sleep. She was on her side and was about to roll over onto her tummy when she noticed she was much more comfortable than she remembered. She examined herself and found that she was tucked snugly under the old blue and white checkered quilt that was clearly at the foot of her bed when she dozed off. Feeling around under her it revealed that she was also under the thin sheet that served as a comfortable liner and the red microplush blanket that she hadn't so much curled up under as curled up with. She was snug in bed under a layer of thick, warm covers and combined with her footie pajamas she was very comfortable, downright cozy as a matter of fact. Someone must have come into her room while she was sleeping and tucked her in properly. It was probably her mom and she smiled warmly at the thought, confused that her mom didn't wake her up as she was asleep before her bedtime but grateful that she had let her rest.

Alice turned over onto her tummy, adjusted her blankets so she was fully covered and checked her phone. ProbablyNotFamous, her friend Livi, had sent her a message.

Hey Alice, how are you? I hope nobody said anything mean about you today, because I think you're great. Today a homeless guy took me in after I rode my back halfway across the suburbs. I'm staying here for now, the people that chased me might catch up and hopefully they go past or give up. I made it rain down heavy, so that would have made it harder for them. Even when humans don't know I'm a channel they try and abuse me. Humans, weird right? That I can't be considered one of them anymore. Their laws I never really cared for, I didn't go out of my way to break them but whether something was legal or not didn't factor into my decision making process. For example, trespassing on school grounds to shoot hoops.

But now just being who we are is illegal, so I refuse to take them seriously. How did channels even come to be? Are we the result of some kind of messed up experiment? Today I had a huge fight with my mother, she said she'll 'come back' when she's ready to see me again.... I don't get it.... Leaving me out here alone? How will she even find me, I'm moving all the time. Idk... She's a channel, so I'm not worried about her. It's weird to think how rare channels are, then to have a direct relative also a channel. At least she knows what it is like to be one of us. We don't belong in this world, Alice. I'm trying not to be noticed, but it seems everywhere that I go there's people who have it out for me. I can't just kill them. Well I could, but.... I resist. And sometimes it is so hard.
Sometimes I think I should just kill them. Kill them all. Not the people who are okay, but the discriminate protestors, the SDD and everyone who tries to pick on me. They'd do the same to me. But I'll be fine as long as there's charge in my phone, even if 90% of the time I'm alone. I seen something on the news the other day, I think there's a channel around here... I'm not sure if I should be glad or afraid of him/her. Im trying to find them but I think they're moving. I don't know.
But back to you, stay safe. Let me know about anything that happens please, and if you ever need me there I'll come for you. It may sound creepy, but I swear I'm not some 50 year old pedo. I'm only 36

Stay safe, sorry for the complaints. I gotta go now.

Alice teared up at reading the message. Levi had vented to her about his mom before and Alice had always found something nice to say, but this? This was completely head spinning. As far as Alice knew, Levi's mom had walked out on him a few times over the last year but she had always come back and Levi hadn't just left. Now he was staying with a homeless person with only his bike and whatever he could carry? What had happened that was so bad that Levi decided to run away? Did something terrible happen or had he finally had enough? Alice wasn't sure which, but the second option was probably more likely, given what Levi had told her before. Even ignoring that, there was plenty else in his message that scared her. His talk about wanting to kill people and how he didn't consider himself human anymore really worried her. He was only a year older than her, so he was still a wild teenage boy. Boys at her school didn't think things through and Levi wouldn't be an exception. What the hell did he plan to do? His last line about being a 36 year old pedo was funny and it made Alice chuckle, and it was really sweet that he was worrying about her but he had a lot of his own problems to take care of. Levi needed a friend and Alice wasn't about to let him hang. She got out of bed, wrapped her top quilt around herself and headed over to her computer. It was 9:00 p.m, her bedtime, but she had just slept for 90 minutes so she was wound up. She logged onto Channel Surfing and typed out a response to Levi's message.

Levi, I'm really worried about you. Let me start by giving you a big hug, you really need one.

*huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs!*

Now, some of the things you're saying in this message...I'm afraid you're going to do something to hurt yourself. If you feel like you might then please, please talk to me first. I've been down that road and nothing good comes of it. Even in the best of situations. It doesn't sound like you're in the best of situations. I have to say I'm really shocked that you would just...leave your house? Run away from home? You're out in the L.A area, right? What about your mom? Where did she go? What if she comes back and can't find you? You've talked to me a lot about your mom and it doesn't sound like she's the best person, I get that, but she's still your mom. Do you even have a plan on where to go? I'm not judging you, not by any means, I just want to know if you need help.

Listen, if I give you my number, will you call me? I need to know that you're okay and at least sort of safe. Please don't do anything that will get you in trouble. It's about 9:15 here on the east coast but you can call me any time. I promise I will answer and if I don't it's because I'm asleep and I will call you back as soon as I wake up.

As for my day, it was pretty rotten, but I talked to Airhead (Izzy) about it and I feel better about things. I'll invite you to our conversation once I'm done with this. I could use a second opinion on my bullying plight anyway. In the meantime, please try and keep your spirits up. We do belong in this world. YOU belong in this world. I don't know how religious you are but I believe our powers were given to us by God so we could do something with them. Something that changes this world for the better and improves the lot of the people in it. Stopping someone from hurting themselves. Helping someone with their groceries. Helping somebody at school pick their papers up after they trip. Even something as small as smiling at someone who looks like they're having a bad day and asking them how they're doing. If you can help even one person with your abilities, then you've proven every anti-Channel naysayer wrong. More importantly, you're spreading God's love, his hope. Just as sincerely as Jesus did when he walked the earth, even if the scale is smaller. That should make you feel good.

Sorry, that was a little preachy, but I hope you get what I'm saying. We have just as much a right to be here as anyone else and if we show the world that we can use our powers for good, for betterment regardless of reward or thanks, then I firmly believe that anyone with a heart will accept us.

My number's 703-635-1321. Give me a call soon, okay? *huuuuuuugs*

Alice sent the message and then invited Livi to her conversation with her and Izzy. She had responded to Alice's last message, a longer response than before. There wasn't really any new insight, but Alice was really grateful for the support Izzy was giving her. She was a really good friend to listen to all of Alice's problems and still help her. Alice sent a message back and was up for another hour talking. By the end of it there were 7 replies to the original message, 4 of them being Alice's and her getting the last word. The vision about the SDD Alice had while she was napping was worrying, but right now there was nothing she could do and her mom had always told her that being tired and up late at night magnified such things. The only thing to do was to simply do a data dump and go to bed. Alice was tired and her parents were probably asleep by now and she had a lot to think about so she decided to deal with it all tomorrow. She was suddenly feeling a bit feverish anyway. She hoped it was just a long day and she wasn't coming down with something. Deciding that she just needed rest, Alice climbed back into bed and wrapped herself up in her warm cocoon of blankets, falling asleep within minutes with a full but tired head.

Levi was trying to play it cool, and keep the mood light by complimenting her. She was genuinely pretty, but he was not trying to romanticize her. He got his phone out and wrote a quick message to Alice.

"Hey Alice, sorry if my messages are annoying you but pl*ps just hit the fan. Saved channel at an airport in Utah, took on lots of SDD, check the news. I'm screwed. Currently somewhere in Nevada, I'm so so screwed."

They made their way to a small diner via following the road and sat in a booth by the window. "Where do you live these days?" She asked. He was more than hesitant to answer, but ultimately decided he should. It took a few moments. "Well uh, I came from Australia not too long ago... Then my mum got us an apartment, but there was complications... Been homeless for about 3 months now. Wow time flies. Mum ditched me and headed back to Australia for 'family reasons' she says, still can't believe she left me like that. That's why I was at the airport. Anyway, to answer your question I don't have a home anymore. What about you?" He asked, after his rant.

Despite being pessimistic in his message to Alice he was trying to keep the mood up with Evelyn, he didn't want her being moody and pessimistic too.

"Nowhere, to be precise, But I'll figure something out..., Being the daughter of the owner of a multimillion dollar company owner has it's advantages." She said, and winks at Levi. Levi couldn't help but feel angry, and his mood immediately shifted. Anger was clear on his face as he refrained from attacking her, behind her a few forks, cups and knives began to float. They dropped before anyone could notice. "I open up about my low socioeconomic status and your response is to mock me by bragging about riches?" He said, disgust in his voice, "I should of left you to die. I'm done here." Levi stands up, and begins to walk away.

He hears the pounding footsteps of Evelyn as she catches him at the door. She ran around to in front of him, blocking his exit. "Hey, I'm sorry okay? That wasn't my point! I wanted to tell you that I can help you! I'm so sorry" Levi was filled with such anger that he found it hard for his judgement to not be clouded, instead of saying anything he let out a long, deep breath. " I'm sorry.. Stay here.. please!?" She called out seemingly to beg.

He stood there, and couldn't stay mad. She apologized and had good intentions. "Okay... Sorry." He said, "But we can't really stay here." It was getting dark, and it had begun to rain. Levi could take the rain away, and it wasn't something he caused, but he liked the rain. "And sorry for being.. Harsh. But I don't really have much going for me, and when I thought you were mocking me it really just cut the ties. I don't want people around me who are going to do that, so sorry again." Levi tried to rack his brain for answers, where do they go? He thought to himself, he couldn't think of a thing. "I don't know where we can go, maybe you could call your dad? Could be dangerous though... I mean does he know you're a channel, how would you explain the news? I saw at least 2 choppers on my way out... Just follow me, we'll find something."
Levi began to lead, and they left the diner. He took the rain way with the raise of his hand, he wanted to check his phone. He realized that before he had sent his last message, Alice had replied. It was a fairly long message, about as long as his. He hadn't fully remembered what he had wrote, he had wrote it when he was really upset. The thoughts came back to him as he read her message. He smiled at the first line, but the rest was fairly serious. It was comforting to know she cared, he got to work on a reply.

Hey, sorry my last message was short. I wrote it in a hurry, I actually didn't see your reply, but I can reply properly now. Thanks heaps, but I didn't run away. I actually haven't had a home for a while, me and my mum were renting an apartment for a while until... Something happened. Then we just rented rooms in hotels/motels, for the past 3 months though things have been pretty tough. We've been homeless and every week I get assaulted at least once, America SUCKS!

I miss Australia, and I just want to go back. I saved this girl named Evelyn from the SDD. I'm a huge Eminem fan so let my write a rhyme about my current situation.

The SDD wont leave me be, or let me be me so let me see... They tried to kill me at the airport, and I just happen to be dirt poor.

Pretty lame, but I like rhyming. I pretty much just reworded some Eminem in the first part, music is really the only thing that keeps me sane. Anyway, I haven't told you before, but I'm homeless. Have been for a few months. Me and Evelyn have nowhere to go but I'm going to keep moving, Nevada is pretty... Barren? So far. GPS on my phone says California is bordering Nevada, might go there but its likely the SDD would find me.

Enough about me, I'm glad you're so... Optimistic? I'm sort of Christian, used to be like... A proper Christian. No doubts, I was still me but I was like... Better. I don't know, if got gave us this then why are there so many actual bad Channels? He should have chosen better. And who the HELL is he to curse me with this affliction? He's all knowing right, he knew this would happen, he knew what this would do to me. I feel like a bottle coke and the people who discriminate against us are a mentos, they don't combine well and when you put a mentos in a coke the results can be... Devastating.

I don't want to be bad and I don't want to hurt anybody, but I can't help but see that if I allowed it I could be some kind of autocrat and this world could be my playground, my kingdom. I mean, we as one, the channels, dealt with the SDD... Who the hell is going to stop us? But I do want to be good, I try but its hard, its so easy to just push back.

To be honest, I'm glad I have powers. But if God was all knowing he wouldn't have given them to me, unless he wants unnecessary suffering. This girl I've saved, I'm not proving anyone wrong since she's a channel too. Apparently her father is some kind of head honcho of a multimillion dollar company, I don't know, I'll get back to you soon. Stay safe, and sorry to wake you Alice.

Wishing you the best weather from the one mortal who can alter it -Levi

He had spent some time on the message, and Evelyn had been patient. Levi was going to write the only one who can alter the weather, but being that Alice is religious he may have offended or annoyed her. They had been walking for about five minutes, the diner could no longer be seen in the distance but it was still only a five minute walk away. They continued to walk for another half hour until they could see a public restroom on the side of the road. "Evelyn, are you okay with us sleeping in there?" Levi asked as he pointed over to the structure.

Around three days passed since the incident in Krys' apartment.

Alexander Troy, the water channel, had nursed her back to health with what medical knowledge he had. It wasn't much, but the thirty-two year old's time in the US Navy gave him just enough sense to clean up her wounds and bandage her up.

She looked much better, but she was still rather sore.

However, with how they trained the SDD's invasion forces, it was no surprise.

As Krys lay recovering in her bedroom alone, Brom and Troy paced about the living room, planning. Troy had spent the rest of the day explaining what he was doing in Chicago. Brom couldn't recall much of what Troy explained, but remembered the blanket ending that basically summed up everything he was about.

"The regulars aren't going to budge on the topic of where we fit into this world. The only fact worth knowing is the only people that can make this world accept us, are us. It was here that the first channel was discovered, and it's only fitting that this is where we make our stand. They might not be ready for us, but they will be soon."

Brom agreed with Troy's sentiments. The fact of the matter was that he wanted what all of he channels wanted. Peace. But he also knew that words weren't going to get them anywhere. They needed to take action. They needed a hand's on approach.

So they formulated a plan that would be the first real movement of the Rise of the Channels.

However, Brom was soon to find out it wasn't exactly what he had in mind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day...

Brom stood above the streets of Chicago, standing upon the roof of a building that Troy said would be his vantage point.

Brom was still rather known, now that the botched operation was funneled back through the SDD. Troy had helped him relay false intel stating Brom had relocated, but he wanted to be sure.

Troy needed eyes on his back more than he needed powers at his side, anyway.

Brom lifted the communicator Troy gave him to his lips, and spoke.

"Alright, Troy. Looks like the next patrol is coming. What's your status?"

There was silence on the other end, but just as Brom was going to repeat his information, Troy's voice rang out from the speaker.

"I'm in position. Tell me when they reach the third tree on 18th, and I'll get this let loose the floodgates."

Brom stated his understanding of his orders, then put the communicator away. He knelt down and stared at the street below, watching the contingent of patrol cars running their rounds. There were at least four vans, each seating at least 8-10 men each.

But after they reached the threshold of that third tree, there wouldn't be any.

Before that, however, Brom's eyes caught something rather unexpected. There was a family walking down the street Troy was supposedly on. Brom pulled up his communicator again.

"Hey Troy. We have innocents coming up on your end, they won't be able to clear out in time for the SDD to reach the tree."

As he said that, another group of people started down that same street.

Brom became confused. Troy promised him that this street was usually barren. No one walked it except for the SDD.

But that clearly wasn't true any longer.

Brom hailed Troy again, this time his voice becoming more worried.

"Troy! We have more innocents on the street. I repeat, more innocents. We need to pull back."

More silence. Once again Brom tried to hail him, but Troy finally responded.

"We're not pulling back, kid."

Brom didn't hesitate as he called back. "What about the fluffing civilian's Troy!?"

Silence, then just as the first van reached the tree, Troy responded.

"Expendable." He declared.

Right after, a loud shout came from below. Brom scrambled to see, but it was too late. The water from the pier behind Troy and to he right of the SDD rose to insane levels, and just as the cars stopped, the water flew over the street below, crushing the cars, and everyone else, below the pounding wave.

Brom shouted from above, his shock too strong to be contained in his body. How could Troy do this? How could he let innocent people die for the sake of stupid vengeance? How could he...How could...

It soon became too much for Brom to take.

Brom's body began to rack, his anger and shock raising his blood level just enough to send him into his overdrive.

His body immediately went up in flames, at the cost of everything he was currently wearing. He looked around and, seeing that everything below him was currently deep under water, he took to the rooftops.

He sprinted to the next rooftop, then the next. He heard more voices from below, and his speed increased.

He had to get back to the apartment to find Troy.

He had to make him pay.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Krys watched the breaking news bulletin with an open jaw.

Twenty dead, and more still being found. But the casualties were innocents alone, meaning twenty or more died when they shouldn't have.

What had they done?

The door to the apartment swung open, and Krys' heart rate increased. Not from fear, but from hate.

She didn't care who came in the door, Troy or Brom. They were murderers, and they weren't staying here any longer.

Krys stormed out of the room and confronted whoever had entered the home first.

It was Troy.

Krys stormed to him and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

"Damn it, Troy! What have you two done!" She screamed, her anger pouring from her mouth.

Troy stood there, unfazed.

"They didn't have to die, Troy! They didn't! Now what? What are they going to say when they find out it was a channel that killed all of those people? You aren't helping them! You're making it worse!"

Troy looked her in the eyes. Without warning, he gripped her by the mouth, as he had done with the SDD in the apartment four days prior. He slammed her head into the hard wood floor, but she still scrambled, her adrenaline helping her as she tried desperately to escape.

But it was to no avail.

The Torrent soon rushed from his palm, and water began to fill Krys' lungs. She fought hard, but in the end, it wasn't enough.

Within moments, she was gone.

He stood to his feet, and began to walk away, when the door burst open again, this time with the now naked Brom.

Before Brom could say anything, Troy sent another torrent toward him, knocking him off of his feet and sending him to the floor. Surely he was knocked out, if not dead.

Troy walked out of the door, and went on his way. His reason why left his lips as he did so.

"They, as well as you, were expendable."

Alexei dragged the bodies to the dumpster, making sure he left no trail, but he also cleaned Izzy's apartment. When he carried the last body he could no longer handle the adrenaline, and most importantly all of the blood – he fell right next to the killed assailant. How could this get any worse he questioned himself, then dumped over the last body. Before returning to his soft bed, he took out his phone and went through his contacts, then called someone with the name World's greatest asshole. He awaited for him to answer. “Alexei! Long bloody time since I heard your voice!” he had an obvious british accent, and he yelled more than he talked. “You too, Nathan.” Alexei replied, with a quiet voice “Listen, I need a favor...” Nathan grunted “Of course you bloody do! I reckon you only dial my number to ask me for favors!” Alexei rolled his eyes “Sorry, sorry. I just need something, it's urgent!”. A long sigh could be heard over the phone
“You already owe me one. I am not going to waste more resources on you unless you pay back. Now, what is it you wish?”.
“You know where I live now, right? There are some...bodies, in the trash, make sure they are taken care of”
Natham laughed, and Alexei could hear him blowing smoke “I've heard you're dangerous like that...I will do what you asked with discretion, but you must do something for me in exchange.” Alexei started walking towards his apartment. “Anything, speak away”. Before he entered he waited for Nathan to finish.
“A contract, you have to go to DC and bring me a certain individual, alive, and hopefully unharmed. His name is Chris Lopez, a bloody channel that rolls with the SDD. Not too much of a challenge, from my understanding, his powers aren't that useful.”
Alexei didn't hesitate to talk back “And why would you want me to abduct a fluffing cop as well as a hunter?” Natham chuckled a little bit “I don't, someone does. I'm just the middle man.” he blew smoke a gain “Do this right, I might even pay you. Sleep well now, Alexei, long day ahe-” he canceled the call before Natham could finish. Not as long as this one. He went and tried sleeping.

----

Next morning, he woke up early at 6 AM then rushed to the airport. He managed to catch a plane a was on his way to DC, although there were a lot of talks about hunters terrorizing the airlines. Alexei sent a text over to Isabel for her to read when she wakes up

Hey, Izzy, I hope you slept well last night, despite of what happened. I know that wasn't the most pleasant thing too do, or see, but there are certain things we must do, for our own protection. I assure you nobody will know about what happened, and it won't happen again. Our life is hard, I assume this isn't the first time you had to make sacrifices. We can talk about this some other time, face to face, if it's possible, but now, I have to go to DC to take care of some things. It might take a couple of days in which I don't get to see your beautiful face, so make sure you feed the cat. Wait, I no longer have a cat..dammit!